About Sim Lim Square
Sim Lim Square is a strata-titled shopping centre at 1 Rochor Canal Road, Singapore 188504, in District 7, the postal district covering Bugis, Beach Road and Middle Road. It was developed by Sim Lim Realty, part of the Sim Lim Group. Construction started in 1983 and the building was completed in January 1987. It has six storeys above ground and two basement levels, and sits on a 99-year lease that began in 1983.
The centre is best known as Singapore's electronics and IT mall. Computer parts, cameras, phones, audio equipment and repair services fill most floors, and a 2022 report put tech-related tenants at more than 80 per cent of the mix. A food court, a money changer and a few service shops make up the rest. The building is still standing and trading in 2026.
Interesting facts
The project was first planned as a mix of shops and offices. In 1985, while it was still under construction, the plan changed to a centre dedicated to electronic and electrical goods.
Many of the first shop buyers were traders from the older Sim Lim Tower nearby on Jalan Besar, which is how the electronics trade moved across the road.
Owners tried a collective sale in 2019. The asking price was raised from $1.1 billion to $1.25 billion, but the tender closed in July 2019 without a bid and a relaunch that December also failed.
A new collective sale committee was formed in mid-2022 to try again. No sale has been reported, so the building remains in the hands of its individual strata owners.
The site covers about 78,152 sq ft and holds 492 strata-titled commercial units.
Nearby
Rochor MRT station (Downtown Line) is next to the building, about two minutes on foot. Bugis MRT (East-West and Downtown Lines) and Jalan Besar MRT (Downtown Line) are each roughly seven to ten minutes away. Sim Lim Tower, Albert Centre Market and Food Centre, Fu Lu Shou Complex and the Waterloo Street temples are close by. Little India and Tekka Centre lie just across Rochor Canal, and LASALLE College of the Arts is a short walk along the canal.
Key facts
Address: 1 Rochor Canal Road, Singapore 188504
District: 7 (Bugis, Beach Road, Middle Road)
Property type: Retail (strata-titled shopping centre)
Completed: 1987
Developer: Sim Lim Realty
Tenure: 99-year leasehold from 1983
Storeys: 6, plus 2 basements
Units: 492 strata units
Site area: about 78,152 sq ft
Nearest MRT: Rochor (Downtown Line)
MCST: 1440