IMM (Singapore)

Coordinates: 1°20′06″N 103°44′50″E / 1.334992°N 103.747105°E / 1.334992; 103.747105

The International Merchandise Mart Mall (usually referred to as IMM Mall) is a mall located within walking distance and visible from Jurong East. It is a five-storey mall operating from 10am to 10pm^[1] with 944,575 square feet (87,753.9 m²) of retail space. Besides retail stores, IMM also houses offices and warehouses for storage, which is advantageous in terms of cost efficiency to some retailers.^[2] It opened for business in 1991. The mall is owned by CapitaMall Trust. The mall has capacity for 248 retail outlets and 388 non-retail. Tenants of the mall include Giant Hypermarket and Daiso department store.

Getting to IMM

There is a free shuttle bus service that ferries visitors to and from JCube as well as Westgate at 10-15 minute intervals, which are both shopping centres located around the same region.^[3] The free shuttle bus service is also available at the International Business Park and shuttle buses arrive at a 10 minute interval. Alternatively, to get to IMM, visitors can get down at the IMM Building bus stop which is served by bus services 52, 105, 188, 188R, 333, 502 and NR5.^[4]

Renovation

In May 2012, IMM began a $30 million renovation project. The size of the building was increased and more stores were set up in the shopping centre.^[5] As such, IMM has become Singapore’s largest outlet mall with close to 60 outlet stores and shoppers can enjoy discounts of up to 60% daily. These outlet stores include brands like Adidas, Agnes b., Billabong, Bossini, City Chain, Clarks, Coach, Converse, Cotton On, Crocs, ECCO, Furla, G2000, GEOX, Goldlion, Hush Puppies, Kappa, Minoshe, New Balance, Nine West, Puma, Rockport, Sacoor, Samsonite, Timberland and Winter Time. ^[6]

Incentives to Shoppers

IMM has a 6 storey carpark (5 covered levels and 1 open air level) with 1300 parking lots. To attract shoppers, it offers the first two hours of parking for free. ^[7]

Also, as IMM is owned by CapitaMall Trust, IMM is a participating mall of the CapitaStars Rewards System, the cardless rewards programme by CapitaMalls Asia.^[8]

Services for families^[9]

As a family friendly mall, IMM offers many services so that it is more convenient for families to visit the mall.

To cater to shoppers with young children, there is a wet and dry playground and a 7-metre tall Tree House at IMM Garden Plaza on Level 3. There are also 3 nursing rooms for the convenience of mothers. In addition, baby strollers and wheelchairs can be borrowed for free from the Customer Service Counter on Level 2.

Incidents

Shootout Simulation

There was a shootout simulation on 27 October 2014 at IMM during Exercise Heartbeat 2014, which is an emergency preparedness exercise held once a year. There was a simulated shootout where people acting as assailants pretended to shoot civilians. This was followed by a simulated car explosion near the entrance of IMM Mall.^[10]

Flooding

A small fire caused by an electrical fault on 12 March 2015 activated the water sprinkle system and affected nine stores and four pop-up stores on the first storey of IMM Building. Some goods suffered water damage while some shops closed down temporarily.^[11]

Awards

IMM Mall has won many awards.^[12] They include

• Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Universal Design Awards in 2008- Bronze ^[13]
• Public Utilities Board- Water Efficient Building Award 2008 ^[14]
• Businesses for Families Council's 'We Welcome Families' Awards, Excellence Award 2011^[15]
• AsiaOne People’s Choice Awards- Top 3 Best Family-Friendly Shopping Centre, 2014 ^[16]

References

External links

• Official website
• Official Facebook Page