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SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) will seek a new operator for One Punggol Hawker Centre in January 2026 after the current operator, Timbre+ Hawkers, announced on Monday (Dec 29) that it will cut short its tenancy by a year.
Timbre will continue to operate the hawker centre until Aug 14, 2026. By then, the company would have fulfilled its initial two-year tenancy and completed two of the three years of its second term.
"Timbre + Hawkers Private Limited had indicated that the tenancy posed challenges for its ongoing operations at One Punggol Hawker Centre," NEA said.
In a separate media release, Timbre Group said it took into account "overall operational considerations and prevailing market conditions", adding that the decision was a mutual agreement between the company and NEA.
CNA has contacted Timbre and NEA for more information about the reasons for the early conclusion of the tenancy.
Timbre has been operating One Punggol Hawker Centre since the venue opened in 2022 with 34 stalls. Its second tenancy began in 2024 and was supposed to end on Aug 14, 2027.
One Punggol Hawker Centre is among several Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centres in Singapore.
Under this model, private companies operate hawker centres, aiming to balance the interests of stallholders and customers, while having the flexibility to roll out their business strategies.
Stall rents are proposed upfront by operators in their tender bids to NEA. Operators are also not allowed to vary hawkers' rent over their tenancy terms or subject the stall rentals to bidding.
The median rent for all non-subsidised cooked food stalls in hawker centres managed by NEA was around S$1,250 (US$970) between 2015 and 2023, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in February this year.
Earlier this year, Timbre received criticism over its management of Yishun Park Hawker Centre, which is also a socially conscious enterprise hawker centre. Food critic KF Seetoh took aim at Timbre's rents, closed-circuit television cameras and its fines.
Timbre will not participate in the upcoming open tender for a new operator for One Punggol Hawker Centre.
During the transition period, there will be no changes to the stallholders' rentals and ancillary fees, Timbre said.
It added that it will work with NEA to "ensure a smooth and orderly transition to the incoming operator, with minimal disruption to stallholders, patrons and the community".
"Timbre + Hawkers Private Limited remains dedicated to its role as a responsible operator of public dining spaces across its portfolio of placemaking venues," Timbre Group said.
NEA said Timbre "has committed to uphold the vibrancy of One Punggol Hawker Centre until the conclusion of the tenancy".
The new operator will be required to retain all existing individual stallholders who wish to continue their operations for at least two years.
During this period, the current rental rates will be maintained for the first year, with any subsequent adjustments capped at market-valued rental averages.
"The well-being of existing individual stallholders is a priority for NEA," the agency added.
"NEA remains committed to supporting hawkers and patrons while continuously improving socially conscious enterprise hawker centres to better serve the community."
