SINGAPORE — Parkway Parade reopened on Friday (May 20) after four days of closure, and when TODAY visited the shopping centre in Marine Parade in the afternoon, several stores were still closed because of a clean-up.

Ms Jenny Khoo, Parkway Parade’s general manager, said that more than 95 per cent of the shops were open for business. About 10 retailers located near the affected unit, which had caught fire, were closed.

Several escalator and lifts were not operating during the time TODAY was there and Ms Khoo said that they were undergoing repair.

Close to midnight on Sunday, a fire had occurred in a unit on the second level. It was understood that the fire had triggered the water sprinklers and the mall management said it had to close for checks and rectification works. 

Even though merchandise in the shops near to that unit were not affected by the fire directly, there was still smoke, dust and water. On Friday, some of the tenants on the second level were seen cleaning up dirty floors, while many more were sorting their products.

Since the affected area consisted mainly of apparel shops, the stench from the smoke was one of their main concerns.

Ms Penny Loh, 44, owner of The Style Closet, said: “I have to take all the clothes out and bring a lot of new things in.” The women’s clothing shop, which has been operating in the mall for 14 years, had to remove about 80 per cent of its merchandise because of the acrid smell of smoke stuck on them. It was especially challenging for her, Ms Loh said, because her small business is not part of a retail chain.

For service providers such as Jean Yip hair salon, the four-day halt in business saw its customers rebooking appointments, its branch manager Jonah Lim, 37, said.

Ms Grace Tan, the retail operations manager of a Converse store, had to replace the entire displayed stock which had the foul smell of smoke. The water that flooded the store meant that some footwear also had to be taken off shelves.

Despite the setback in business, Ms Tan said the management team and the cleaning team who have been helping tenants were “efficient” and operations have been smooth.

A shopper, who wanted to be known only as Madam Tan, said that it was good that Parkway Parade is finally opened. “It’s a relief for me. The mall has everything I need.”