TENANT FEATURE: SO ENTERPRISE - PROVIDING SKINCARE SOLUTIONS
In the past year, there is a growing trend in the number of tenants in the Wholesale and Retail Trade within Mapletree Industrial’s portfolio. So Enterprise is one of our new tenants in the Wholesale and Retail Trade sector that has recently moved into Kallang Place. It is the distributor of HABA Singapore, a popular skincare brand originating from Japan. We invited Ms Cynthia Sng, Managing Director of So Enterprise, to share with us how she converted her interest into business.
Q: Tell us more about your company.
Cynthia:So Enterprise is the company behind HABA Singapore. HABA, which stands for Health Aid Beauty Aid is a Japanese skincare and healthcare brand with a focus on an additive-free philosophy. All our products are formulated without common additives such as parabens, mineral oils, artificial fragrances, artificial colourants and petrochemical surfactant. The brand was established in 1983 and to date we have many iconic products that help to improve people's health and beauty, and indirectly their lives too. At So Enterprise, we aim to promote this additive-free philosophy to Singaporeans, and to get more people to know and love HABA, the brand.
Q: How did you get started in this line of work?
Cynthia: As my skin is sensitive, and I fly a lot, I am very particular about the type of skincare I use. About ten years ago, I stumbled upon HABA's products through a friend's recommendation and I became a loyal fan since then. Around 2 years ago, by chance, I was given the opportunity to take over the HABA distributorship in Singapore and I grabbed it immediately! It has been a fun and life-changing experience so far!
Q: What are the product and/or services your company provides?
Cynthia:We also provide health & beauty workshops for companies as an employee benefit. Participants get to learn more about the additive-free philosophy, sample our food and drinks, pick up makeup tips and enjoy a pampering and enriching afternoon with us. We have held many such workshops form groups as small as 10 to as big as 100 participants and the response has been very good.
Q: What are the biggest challenges of your business?
Cynthia: Despite the fact that HABA has been around for 16 years in Singapore, many people are still not aware of this brand. Before we took over the business, there was only one shop at Ngee Ann City, in just two years we have expanded to 9 different locations! As more celebrities such as Fann Wong and Jamie Chua began to use HABA, our customer base has also increased steadily.
Q: How do you ensure that your company stays current?
Cynthia: We are firm believers of online marketing, especially social media marketing. Through social media and interacting with our customers in real life, we are able to listen closely to the heartbeat of our consumer base and understand what they want and need. "Current" is subjective; so our yardstick of whether we are current or not is probably being able to meet our customer's needs and expectations.
Q: Why did your company make the decision to move to our building in Kallang?
Cynthia: We chose Kallang because of its strategic location. It is very near to our retail outlets so it is very convenient and easy to transport goods in a relatively shorter time.
Q: How has our development aided your company’s growth (or expansion)?
Cynthia: Definitely, as we expanded from one to nine locations, we needed a much bigger space for redistribution purposes, hence our space at Kallang was a great choice! Delivery time is of essence to us, so a strategic location like Kallang is important to us.
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Kallang Basin 4 cluster comprises three seven-storey Flatted Factories and an amenity centre. The cluster is well-suited for companies in the light and clean industries. The cluster is easily accessible via arterial roads and major expressways such as CTE and PIE. Kallang, Lavender and Boon Keng MRT stations are within walking distance from the cluster.
Click here for more details on Kallang Basin 4.
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