“Given the current economic climate, we are going back to basics and focusing on giving consumers what they really want – great savings and great value – to help shoppers stretch their dollar and buy more for less,” said Ms Lau Chuen Wei, Executive Director, Singapore Retailers Association (SRA). “Consumers can look forward to great discounts of up to 70 per cent, value deals under S$50, as well as 1-for-1 deals at various participating outlets island-wide!”

This year, consumers will have even more offers and more options to choose from. In addition to the thousands of stores island-wide that have since become regular participants of the annual GSS, this year’s Sale will also see the participation of tenants of the three newest malls in Singapore – Iluma, Orchard Central, and Tampines 1 - as well as other first-time participants.

Ms Lau added: “To entice Singaporeans and visitors to spend their holidays in Singapore, the Singapore Retailers Association has actively engaged retailers, shopping centres, and even restaurants, attractions and hotels, to participate with irresistible offers, so that consumers can enjoy great value-for-money on a whole range of lifestyle offerings – from shopping, to dining and even hotel stays – for a perfect holiday right here in Singapore.”

For the first time, the Restaurant Association of Singapore will be participating in the GSS with the Great Singapore Feast (12 June to 30 August), featuring signature dishes of participating restaurants at tempting discounts to whet the appetites of food lovers. The Association of Singapore Attractions will also be offering discounts on admission to participating attractions island-wide with the Great Singapore Pass. And participating hotels from the Singapore Hotel Association will be offering value deals on 1N/2D Weekend Stays to give locals the chance to enjoy affordable and relaxing ‘staycations’ in Singapore.

“The Great Singapore Feast and the Great Singapore Pass are new value options offered this year. This is in line with the GSS’s promise to be the only island-wide sale in the region that offers shoppers an extensive range of merchandise within key shopping precincts and beyond, whether it is at Orchard Road, Marina Bay, Singapore Changi Airport, ethnic districts or even the suburban malls. And in the context of today’s economic uncertainty, the GSS is even more relevant given the many great deals that it offers,” said Mr Andrew Phua, Director of Tourism Shopping and Dining, Singapore Tourism Board.

Visitors to our island city during the GSS are also in for a special treat. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has put together a host of exclusive privileges ranging from dining, sightseeing, beauty and wellness to nightlife and entertainment. To take advantage of the special privileges and rewards, all visitors need to do is pick up the Tourist Privilege Card from the Singapore Visitors Centres or download it from www.greatsingaporesale.com.sg, and present it with their passports at the participating outlets to enjoy even bigger bargains for a great value-for-money holiday!

Mr Phua added, “The tagline for the GSS this year is ‘This item is not on sale. But just about everything else is’. As part of the year-long ‘2009 reasons to enjoy Singapore’ campaign this year, the GSS presents even greater value and more than retail therapy. This is a season of lifestyle experiences that can be enjoyed by visitors and locals alike without burning a hole in the wallet. This is a very good time to visit Singapore, as a wide complementary range of deals from food and dining to attractions, recreational and entertainment options would be available. There are also other lifestyle events being staged within this same period to further enhance a visitor’s experience during the sale. Hence, tireless shopaholics with energy to spare, can also enjoy popular events like the Singapore Arts Festival, Singapore River Festival and the Singapore Food Festival.”

MasterCard cardholders too have reasons to rejoice. Consumers get more for less at the GSS when they use their MasterCard cards to shop the Sale. Recognizing the challenging economic climate, the Official Card of the Sale has lined up a host of deals and privileges to enable cardholders to enjoy great savings from 10 per cent to 70 per cent off, whether they’re dining at a restaurant, chilling out at a bar, relaxing at a spa or checking into a downtown hotel for a shopping weekend getaway.

MasterCard cardholders also stand a chance of receiving great value back on their purchases with S$15,000 worth of Raffles City shopping vouchers to be redeemed every week of the Sale. Sixty lucky cardholders each week will receive a S$250 voucher when they make purchases worth S$2,500 or more on their MasterCard. All they have to do is be among the first 60 cardholders each week to call the toll free number in Singapore (1800 6222 888), or for overseas callers (65 6319 2869), to redeem the voucher.

What’s more, visitors who charge S$100 of their purchases to MasterCard and claim their GST refunds at Global Refund, will stand to win a return trip to Singapore, in the Global Refund ‘Shop Tax Free & Win’ Draw complete with a return flight for one person, 2-night hotel stay at Royal Plaza on Scotts and $200 worth of hotel dining vouchers.

“This year, we want to enable MasterCard cardholders to stretch their dollar further and get the best value for their money. This is truly a sale on top of a sale because of the exclusive privileges available only to MasterCard cardholders at a range of retail, dining and leisure outlets across Singapore. To encourage visiting cardholders to shop here during the GSS, tourists can also enjoy privileges such as taxi voucher redemptions and a chance to win a return trip back to Singapore”, said Ms Julienne Loh, Vice President and Country Manager, Singapore, MasterCard Worldwide.

That’s not all. For the first time, the STB, Charles & Keith and MasterCard have collaborated to produce a GSS Limited Edition Bag. Each bag comes with a luggage tag that carries this year’s GSS tagline “This item is not on sale. But just about everything else is.” Both tourists and locals can redeem the GSS Limited Edition Bag at the Singapore Visitors Centre @ Orchard when they spend above S$300 in retail purchases (maximum of 3 same-day receipts). Be spotted carrying the bag and stand a chance to win a $300 FEVO Prepaid MasterCard in the ‘Be Spotted’ contest brought to you by MasterCard. Five lucky winners will be picked each week, and a total of S$12,000 worth of FEVO Prepaid MasterCards are up for grabs over the eight weeks of the GSS.

Shoppers also stand to win fantastic prizes in the SPH Shop & Win Draw. Prizes include Subaru cars, Acer notebooks, Nikon digital cameras, Mitsubishi Electric refrigerators, and more! All they need to do to qualify for the weekly draws is spend S$30 at any SPH Shop & Win participating outlet (identifiable by the SPH Shop & Win posters and decals). Charge to MasterCard and they will double their chances of winning.

Mr Lawrence Loh, Executive Vice President, Display Advertisements, Marketing Division, Singapore Press Holdings Limited, said: “SPH has been involved with this mega shopping event for the 11th year, as the official media partner, in support of the retail industry. Despite the hard times, we have been able to garner an unstinting support from some of our business partners, who together, have contributed more than S$200,000 worth of attractive prizes. SPH will provide more than S$1m worth of publicity and editorial support. We are confident that these will provide the much-needed boost to the event, especially in this challenging economic environment.”

GET SINGAPORE is another key highlight for GSS this year. A collective brand recently launched in conjunction with SPRING Singapore, it represents 37 interesting Singapore brands and Singapore-inspired merchandise. During the GSS, apart from great value discounts offered individually by the brands, MasterCard cardholders can look forward to exclusive privileges such as additional discounts on sale items, and even exclusive discounts on selected non-sale items at participating brands. What’s more, tourists who spend over S$100 on any GET SINGAPORE brand will receive a GET SINGAPORE gift at participating outlets upon presenting the Tourist Privilege Card.

For fans of designer labels, Club 21 will be participating in the GSS for the first time and will kick off the Sale with the Club 21 Bazaar (29 to 31 May, Pit Building), featuring spectacular discounts of 80 per cent on designer wear from Comme des Garcons, Donna Karan, Jil Sander, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, ck Calvin Klein, DKNY and many more!

Time-strapped tourists and Singaporeans can also look forward to Late Night Shopping, Dining and Entertainment every weekend as major malls will take turns to stay open till late during the Sale. Paragon, The Centrepoint and Wisma Atria will be open until 11pm every Saturday night. Wisma Atria will also be open till 11pm on two Fridays (29 May and 5 June) during the sale period. In addition, other malls will be open till late on selected dates:

For more details of other mall activities and events, please refer to Annex A.

As part of the launch festivities, the Great Singapore Shopping Challenge will return for the sixth year running to search for the greatest bargain-hunters and to highlight the incredible savings that can be found at the Sale. This year, eight local teams and 20 international teams from nine countries, will be vying for top honours in the Singapore and International categories respectively. Celebrities from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia will also be taking part in this race. For more details on the Shopping Challenge, please refer to Annex A.

• Pick up a free copy of the GSS 2009 Official Guide from major hotels and shopping centres.
• Visit the GSS 2009 Official Website: www.greatsingaporesale.com.sg.

Jointly issued by the Singapore Retailers Association – organiser of the Great Singapore Sale 2009 together with key partners – Singapore Tourism Board, MasterCard and Singapore Press Holdings.