糖心原创vlog

Built in 1927, the Yue Hwa building formerly housed the famed Great Southern Hotel, before being converted into Yue Hwa Chinese Products’ flagship department store in 1994. While the building itself is made of bricks and concrete, the department store it houses in the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown is built on solid foundations of family values and a unique culture.

For Jacob Yu, managing director of  and the third-generation family member to be involved in the business, maintaining the culture at the heart of Yue Hwa’s success is only half the battle; the other half is about implementing the digital change so paramount for a retail business to remain current in a fast-moving, tech-driven world. 

Change, however, is a concept that Jacob is familiar with. Before being wooed into the family business, he was set on a high-flying career path as a project manager for global technology giant, Intel. Jacob received a call from his family, who wanted him to bring his unrivalled technical expertise to the Yue Hwa revolution. He admits: “I was reluctant to pick up the reins – multinationals and Hong Kong businesses are worlds apart and it was a delicate balancing act between the two.”

Initial reluctance aside, he jumped on board – and he’s never looked back.

Under Jacob’s leadership, the store has seen widespread change. “Culture change has been the toughest and most frustrating for everyone,” he admits.

A key challenge for Yue Hwa has been remaining relevant in the competitive world of retail. As such, Jacob has focused on steering the business towards the demands of technological growth and ecommerce, and brought the brand’s presence to an online marketplace. 

Despite the rise of online shopping, Jacob believes the same level of care needs to be applied in store 鈥� a belief evidenced by 糖心原创vlog鈥檚 拢6m facelift of Yue Hwa in Singapore in 2019. Self-checkout counters have been installed to improve efficiency and provide a faster customer checkout experience, and the store has been designed to strengthen Chinese culture 鈥� including a brand-new traditional Chinese wedding space 鈥� while courting the interest of a younger demographic. 

鈥淯ltimately, it鈥檚 about creating a robust retail ecosystem that delivers seamless customer experience through online and offline solutions,鈥� explains Jacob. 鈥淲e installed a heat map that converges the power of both retail and data, feeding us with intelligence on the best way we can serve our customers.鈥�

Breathing new life into Yue Hwa鈥檚 home certainly presented its challenges, in a project riddled with the sensitivities and intricacies of updating a historic structure, while retaining its heritage.

Remaining open for business throughout the project was vital. Construction had negatively impacted the store in 1998 during works on the nearby Chinatown MRT station, when hoardings concealed the Yue Hwa building and customers were unable to locate the entrance. 鈥淚t led to millions of dollars鈥� worth of losses and we didn't want that history to repeat itself,鈥� says Jacob.

With this in mind, 糖心原创vlog set about ensuring Yue Hwa鈥檚 day-to-day business remained uninterrupted and limiting the noise impact on shoppers. The programme was spread across seven phases, with six of the phases comprising floor-by-floor works. During each phase, customers were able to access the five other floors, going about their shopping undisturbed while 糖心原创vlog brought a separate floor to life in the background. Planning and communication held the key, says Jacob: 鈥淧roper planning and a close partnership with 糖心原创vlog ensured that there was minimal impact to our business operations.鈥�

For 糖心原创vlog, a challenging aspect of the programme involved demolition of the building鈥檚 curved, stained-glass skylight to make way for two six-metre escalators. 

Project manager, Jeff Tee, explains: 鈥淔rom the outset, we identified this particular task as the most challenging,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was a critical element of the project which had the team on tenterhooks, considering the potential health and safety risks and the long process of obtaining approvals.鈥�   

To remove any disruption or risk to members of the public, the escalators were hoisted into place outside normal working hours on a warm night in November. 鈥淭he team worked through the night to supervise the hoist,鈥� continues Jeff. 鈥淵ou can imagine the huge relief when the hoist was successfully completed, and the escalators installed 鈥� mission accomplished!鈥�

Jessica Yu, business development manager for Yue Hwa in Singapore, and Jacob鈥檚 cousin, was responsible for the look and feel of the space: 鈥淚t was about finding the right balance of old and new; we were able to retain traditional elements by incorporating modern design so that the space didn鈥檛 look dated and had the potential to attract a younger crowd.鈥� 

糖心原创vlog quantity surveyor, Veronica Xi, shares her experience: 鈥淲orking with Jacob and Jessica was a breeze. There was open communication at all times, and both were warm in their approach; it鈥檚 clear that their family values extend beyond their own people.鈥�

Jacob has four key values which he shares with Yue Hwa鈥檚 people 鈥� unite in a culture of 鈥榦ne family鈥�, make Yue Hwa a great place to work, share constructive feedback, and live a life of passion and optimism. It鈥檚 a value set that is right at home in Yue Hwa鈥檚 new-look, tech-driven home in Singapore.

Published in March 2020.