Five Names That Are No More
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BIBLIOASIA JUL – SEP 2016 Vol. 12 / Issue 02 / Feature Sue-Ann Chia is a journalist with over 15 years experience covering politics and current affairs at various newspapers, including The Straits Times and Today. She is currently the Associate Do you remember Chung Khiaw Bank, Director at the Asia Journalism Fellowship and a Director at The Nutgraf, a boutique writing and Setron TVs and Three Rifles shirts? They media consultancy. were household brand names during their heydays and were very much part of the place… and their spacious showroom will ended, Whiteaways rebuilt its business at the Singapore landscape. At their peak, many best give an idea of the variety and immen- same location. It managed to claw back its residents would have owned these products, d sity of the business,” said author Arnold reputation as a premier shopping destination used their services or at the very least, heard Wright.3 The other two department stores in and held Singapore’s first fashion show on of these brands. Popularity, however, does Singapore that offered similar luxury items 3 November 1948.9 not guarantee longevity. Over the years, the and catered to the well-heeled were John In 1957, Britain’s largest retailer, Great following five brands disappeared due to a Little's and Robinson's.4 Universal Stores Ltd, acquired Whiteaways variety of reasons, some more dramatic When its Raffles Place lease ended in for nearly £600,000. It retained the directors BYGONE than others. 1904, Whiteaways moved to a new building at and staff, and pledged to expand Whiteaways' the corner of Hill Street and Stamford Road. business in Singapore. But the opposite Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. (1900–62) As the store was the main tenant, the new happened. Whiteaways abruptly closed in three-storey Oranje Building – renamed February 1962. The store manager cited It was called the “Selfridges of the East”, the Stamford House in 19635 – was designed the approaching termination of its land poshest chain of department stores this side with Whiteaways’ requirements in mind. lease and poor trading results as reasons of the Suez.1 Shoppers looking for high-end BRANDSFive Names That Are No More Nine years later, in 1915, Whiteaways for the closure.10 European products during the early 20th moved again to its final home on Battery The Whiteaways building was bought century would make a beeline for this iconic Road, right next to the General Post Office by Malayan Banking Limited (Maybank) A Whiteaways advertisement in the 1937-38 issue store – Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. of The Singapore Cinema Review introducing the building that is today the Fullerton Hotel. This for $1.4 million in October 1961 and used Founded by two Scotsmen, E. White- “… exciting new perfume” called Mischief – all for time it owned the building, having bought as its headquarters. It was demolished in away and Robert Laidlaw, the first store the princely price of $1.75 or $2.75 a bottle. © The the land where Flint Building – named after 1997 to make way for the present 32-storey Singapore Cinema Review. was set up in Calcutta in 1882, where both Captain William Flint, brother-in-law of Maybank Tower.11 Sue-Ann Chia traces the birth and death of five men were based. Their business boomed, Stamford Raffles – once stood. Flint Build- Singapore, 16 in East and West Malaysia and with branches sprouting in over 20 cities in companies, reliving the forgotten stories of some of ing, which housed the famous Emmerson’s two in Hong Kong – and ambitious expansion India and the Straits Settlements (Singapore, Chung Khiaw Bank (1947–72) Tiffin Rooms, was demolished following a plans in the pipeline.13 Singapore’s biggest brand names. Penang and Malacca), and in places such major fire in 1906.6 Set up by tycoon and philanthropist Aw Chung Khiaw’s unique reputation as a as Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Taiping, Seremban The owners of Whiteaways purchased Boon Haw – one half of the famous Haw Par small man’s bank was the backbone of its and Klang.2 the land on a 50-year lease from the Flint brothers – Chung Khiaw Bank took pride in success. The bank proved that it did not need The department store catered to Euro- family and developed a new four-storey being the “Small Man’s Bank”, a bank for the patronage of the wealthy for business peans living in these cities and affluent building that was described as the most the ordinary man. to be lucrative. Over the years, its clientele locals who could afford its pricey goods. modern establishment in Singapore at the Chung Khiaw Bank was incorporated included small traders, labourers and even Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. specialised in time. The store cost $300,000 to build and in 1947 and started operations on 4 Febru- students under 12 years old. “No customer furnishings, haberdashery and tailoring as was designed along the lines of modern ary 1950 on Robinson Road. Aw, dubbed the is too small, and no account is too big” was well as imported household items. emporiums in London. It covered 12,200 “Tiger Balm King” for building his family’s the motto of the bank.14 Whiteaways – as the chain was more sq ft of space and soared about 100 ft from business empire from selling the trademark The bank was the first to introduce commonly referred to – reached the shores basement to roof with beautiful display cure-all ointment, was the founder and first several innovative ideas to keep ahead of of Singapore in November 1900. The store windows, lifts and steel structures.7 chairman of the bank’s board of directors, the competition. Lee Chee Shan’s philosophy first opened its doors on D’Almeida Street Around the time of the store’s opening, which included other prominent Chinese was “little drops make a mighty ocean”. In at Raffles Place, purveying household founder Robert Laidlaw – who lived 20 years businessmen in Singapore. 1956, the bank printed promotional pam- goods, shoes and crockery. “In Singapore, in Calcutta before returning to England and Aw, who had moved from Burma to phlets in the four main languages – English, as elsewhere, they have made a name for becoming a Member of Parliament from Singapore in the 1920s, had envisioned the Chinese, Malay and Tamil – departing from themselves as the leading drapers of the 1906 until 1910 – died on 3 November 1915; bank as not only serving businessmen but the usual practice of only targeting a par- he was 59. Knighted in 1909, Laidlaw was all segments of society. “It is our intention to ticular Chinese dialect group. All this was instrumental in growing the Whiteaways help the middle and lower classes – to give part of its plan to encourage the public to business empire. Not much is known about them a break… we will finance the small make banking a greater part of their lives. E. Whiteaway, the other founder, other than man, thus helping him, the community and The bank also launched mobile banking, he used to work at another department store, the country,” he said in an interview with literally a bus that drove to six rural areas Harrison and Hathaways, in Calcutta before The Straits Times before the bank opened regularly to bring banking facilities to the setting up Whiteaways with Laidlaw.8 in February 1950.12 doorsteps of villages.15 During World War II, the Japanese When Aw died in 1954 at age 71, Chung Baby boomers will remember the coins military took over the Whiteaways building Khiaw Bank was placed in the good hands of bank which was introduced in 1958 specifi- and allowed the Japanese retailer Shirakiya his nephew-in-law Lee Chee Shan, who was cally for children. It encouraged children to – better known as Tokyu Department Store credited with making the bank a household save by issuing metal “piggy” banks that later today – to use the premises. When the war name in Singapore. morphed into other animal shapes such as rhi- The bank started with an authorised nocerous, camel, elephant and squirrel. Within capital of $5 million and paid-up capital of two years, the bank received an astounding In 1915, Whiteaways moved to its final location 16 on Battery Road, right next to the General Post $2.5 million. By 1971, it was Singapore’s $3.5 million in coin deposits from children. Office building that is today the Fullerton Hotel. second largest local bank in terms of assets. Chung Khiaw Bank was ahead of the Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. The bank had a total of 32 offices – 14 in curve in many ways. Another pioneering 26 27 BIBLIOASIA JUL – SEP 2016 Vol. 12 / Issue 02 / Feature move was the “Lady in Pink” service, started people watched TV at their local community as 2,000 sets a month in addition to other its shares. Setron’s managing director, Tan in June 196217 to woo women to open bank centres – this was a business that showed electronic products such as tape recorders Sek Toh, emigrated to Canada after selling accounts. There was even an “All Ladies plenty of promise. and transistor radios once it moved to a big- his stake in the company.33 Bank” – a sub-branch opened in August 1963 The idea of a made-in-Singapore TV ger factory. In April 1966, Setron relocated Setron continued to manufacture TV in Selegie House that was manned entirely set seemed preposterous at the time, but to its new 80,000-sq-ft factory at Tanglin sets until the 1980s. In 1986, it became a by female staff.18 The bank encouraged Setron managed to pull it off.