“In a market defined by shifting consumer habits and cautious optimism, success belongs to those who combine data-driven insights with the agility to adapt—exactly the approach Apeiron has mastered in Singapore’s retail and HORECA landscape.”
The horeca market Singapore and retail sector in 2025 are navigating a period of cautious optimism. While retail sales show resilience in suburban malls and digital channels, the HORECA segment faces uneven performance, particularly in catering, even as restaurants and hotels adapt to evolving consumer preferences. These developments provide valuable retail insights SG for businesses and investors tracking consumer behavior.
Retail Insights SG
Retail in Singapore continues to show steady growth despite global uncertainties.
- Sales Growth: Retail sales (excluding motor vehicles) rose 0.5% YTD by mid-2025.
- Category Leaders: IT equipment (+14%), cosmetics & medical goods (+5%), and recreational products (+4%) are driving demand.
- Rents & Vacancies:
- Orchard Road rents: S$23.50 psf/month (+0.5% QoQ).
- Suburban rents: S$14.80 psf/month (+0.3% QoQ).
- Vacancies declined to 6.9%, showing tightening supply.
- Digital Shift: Online sales, especially in IT and lifestyle products, continue to expand, reinforcing the omnichannel retail transformation.
F&B Trends Singapore
The horeca market Singapore is facing mixed fortunes in 2025.
- Sales Performance: F&B sales recorded a –1.2% YoY decline in August 2025, mainly due to weaker catering and fast-food segments.
- Dining Preferences: Suburban restaurants remain resilient, while premium dining faces pressure from cautious corporate spending.
- Consumer Shifts: Health-conscious menus, plant-based options, and digital ordering platforms are shaping F&B trends Singapore.
- Hospitality Linkages: Hotels benefit from tourism recovery, but catering tied to corporate events remains subdued.
🏨 Hospitality Trends
Hospitality is closely tied to tourism recovery, and 2025 is showing encouraging signs.
- Tourism Recovery: International arrivals are boosting hotel occupancy, supporting luxury dining and retail.
- Experiential Dining: Hotels and restaurants are investing in hospitality trends such as themed dining, sustainability-driven menus, and immersive guest experiences.
- Corporate Events: Catering remains weak, but event-driven hospitality may rebound if business travel strengthens in late 2025.
Key Drivers & Challenges
| Driver | Impact |
| Tourism recovery | Boosts hotels and luxury dining |
| Digital adoption | Expands online retail, pressures physical stores |
| Suburban resilience | Stable mall traffic and rents |
| Catering slowdown | Weakens HORECA revenues |
| Inflation (0.8% Q2 2025) | Limits consumer spending |
Outlook 2025–2026
- Retail: Expect modest rental growth, with IT, health, and beauty products leading sales.
- HORECA: Restaurants will need to innovate with experiential dining and healthier offerings, while catering may remain weak unless corporate events rebound.
- Strategic Focus: Businesses should prioritize omnichannel strategies, suburban expansion, and differentiated experiences to secure consumer loyalty.
Apeiron’s Expertise
Apeiron has demonstrated proven expertise in successfully completing market research and survey projects across diverse sectors in Singapore. Notable projects include:
- Board Café – Comprehensive market research and consumer insights into café operations and customer preferences.
- Salon and Café – Dual-sector study combining hospitality and lifestyle trends, highlighting synergies between grooming and dining experiences.
- Hawker centres Project (Singapore) – Detailed market survey on food outlets, capturing evolving consumer dining habits, catering demand, and competitive positioning.
These projects underscore Apeiron’s ability to deliver actionable insights that align with the evolving dynamics of the horeca market Singapore, while supporting businesses in identifying growth opportunities.
Summary: The retail sector in Singapore is cautiously optimistic, while the horeca market Singapore faces challenges in catering but opportunities in restaurant innovation, tourism-linked hospitality, and evolving F&B trends Singapore. Together, these shifts highlight emerging hospitality trends that will shape the market through 2026. Apeiron’s successful track record in market research projects further strengthens the foundation for businesses seeking to navigate this dynamic landscape.
For deeper insights, explore:
- Savills Singapore Retail Briefing Q3 2025
- Knight Frank Singapore Retail Market Update Q1 2025
- Adyen Singapore Retail Report 2025
