ComfortDelGro to move its corporate headquarters to Labrador Tower in November
The move comes as the lease on ComfortDelGro's long-time base in Braddell Road (above) expires in August 2026. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
ComfortDelGro to move its corporate headquarters to Labrador Tower in November
SINGAPORE - Transport giant ComfortDelGro will move its corporate headquarters to Labrador Tower, a new office building in Pasir Panjang, The Straits Times has learnt.
The move, which will take place in November, comes as the lease on the mainboard-listed company's long-time base in Braddell Road expires in August 2026.
A ComfortDelGro spokesperson confirmed in a statement to ST on June 20 that the company will relocate its corporate functions to Labrador Tower.
It will join the Ministry of Health and insurer Prudential Singapore as tenants at the 34-storey mixed-use project, which was developed by utilities company SP Group and completed around mid-2024.
ComfortDelGro did not specify the number of employees or the departments that will move , but ST understands they include those in finance, IT, human resources, legal, business development, as well as branding and corporate communications.
'This move is part of our ongoing efforts to create a more modern and sustainable work environment for our corporate staff,' the company said, noting the new office's proximity to Labrador Park MRT station on the Circle Line.
Asked how much office space it will be leasing at Labrador Tower and why it chose to move its corporate head office there, ComfortDelGro's spokesperson said it was unable to provide more details at this time.
The ComfortDelGro G roup had more than 12,400 employees in Singapore in 2024, with its subsidiary, public transport operator SBS Transit, accounting for more than three quarters of the workforce here.
Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao broke the news on June 15 that ComfortDelGro and SBS Transit will vacate their premises at 205 Braddell Road progressively from October.
While ComfortDelGro's corporate staff will move to Pasir Panjang, SBS Transit - which has been based in Braddell since 1980 - will relocate to its other existing bus and rail premises.
By end-2025, SBS Transit will move its office staff to Sengkang Rail Depot and Sengkang West Bus Depot, and its bus operations in Braddell to Hougang Bus Depot in Defu.
For cabbies, ComfortDelGro said its maintenance workshop on its Braddell Road premises will continue to serve taxi drivers in the central region until a new five-storey automotive hub in Ubi opens in the first quarter of 2026 to take its place.
Neither ComfortDelGro nor SBS Transit have said why they did not renew or extend the lease on the Braddell site, which remains zoned for 'transport facilities' use, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's 2019 Master Plan.
Industrial developer JTC Corporation owns the 66,441 sq m plot of land , which is located next to the CTE. At present, it houses a range of facilities, including office space, workshops, diesel pumps and electric vehicle charging stations.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
Despite 1880's closure, private members' club 67 Pall Mall is expanding
[SINGAPORE] Private members' club 1880 may have suddenly closed and gone into liquidation this week, but that is no dampener for another player here. 67 Pall Mall, which started operating in Singapore from 2022, has just signed a lease to expand to Shanghai – its first Chinese outpost. The private members' club with a focus on fine wine will open next year at 7 Donghu Road, in Shanghai's historic Xuhui district. It will occupy the 100-year-old French Renaissance-style Grand Mansion – or da gongguan – built by British businessman Raymond Joseph. Grant Ashton, who founded 67 Pall Mall in London in 2015, said that opening a club in Shanghai allows it to connect with the wine community in China, which 'has long been one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing wine markets in the world'. On entering the country despite its economic woes, Ashton said the club's business model offering access to 'one of the largest lists of wines in the region at reasonable prices' has withstood economic ebbs and flows, including extended closures during the pandemic. 'Our proposition is new to the market in Shanghai and China – one that represents unprecedented value and access to fine wines.' He is not concerned about the sudden collapse of 1880 either. The club had also abruptly closed its Hong Kong branch on May 30. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'Our membership model has served us well for 10 years,' he told The Business Times. 'We are a very different club with a singular focus, and everything about 67 Pall Mall revolves around the appreciation of wine.' In Singapore, the club occupies 15,000 square feet (sq ft) across the 27th and 28th floors of Shaw Centre in Scotts Road. The space used to be the penthouse dwelling of the late movie magnate Runme Shaw, where he threw extravagant soirees and wined and dined luminaries and celebrities. The club here is 67 Pall Mall's third, after London and Verbier in Switzerland. It had previously announced upcoming club openings in Melbourne, Australia, as well as in France's Bordeaux and Beaune. Members have access to its clubs around the world. Entrance to the Grand Mansion. PHOTO: 67 PALL MALL As for the Shanghai club, it will comprise around 14,300 sq ft and carry a wine list of 5,000 by the bottle and 1,000 by the glass from 40 countries. The mansion's grandeur will be showcased and it will include spaces such as a Grand Salon, a sunroom overlooking the gardens, a whisky bar and multiple private rooms. The Grand Mansion is a former diplomatic landmark that has housed various bureaus and served as the residence of some of China's prominent magnates, including industrialist and banker Sheng Zhushu. It has also hosted several high-profile events, including negotiations between former US president Richard Nixon and former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in 2001 attended by then US president George W Bush.
Business Times
2 hours ago
- Business Times
Despite 1880 closure, private members' club 67 Pall Mall is expanding
[SINGAPORE] Private members' club 1880 may have suddenly closed and gone into liquidation this week, but that is no dampener for another player here. 67 Pall Mall, which started operating in Singapore from 2022, has just signed a lease to expand to Shanghai – its first Chinese outpost. The private members' club with a focus on fine wine will open next year at 7 Donghu Road, in Shanghai's historic Xuhui district. It will occupy the 100-year-old French Renaissance-style Grand Mansion – or da gongguan – built by British businessman Raymond Joseph. Grant Ashton, who founded 67 Pall Mall in London in 2015, said that opening a club in Shanghai allows it to connect with the wine community in China, which 'has long been one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing wine markets in the world'. On entering the country despite its economic woes, Ashton said the club's business model offering access to 'one of the largest lists of wines in the region at reasonable prices' has withstood economic ebbs and flows, including extended closures during the pandemic. 'Our proposition is new to the market in Shanghai and China – one that represents unprecedented value and access to fine wines.' He is not concerned about the sudden collapse of 1880 either. The club had also abruptly closed its Hong Kong branch on May 30. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'Our membership model has served us well for 10 years,' he told The Business Times. 'We are a very different club with a singular focus, and everything about 67 Pall Mall revolves around the appreciation of wine.' In Singapore, the club occupies 15,000 square feet (sq ft) across the 27th and 28th floors of Shaw Centre in Scotts Road. The space used to be the penthouse dwelling of the late movie magnate Runme Shaw, where he threw extravagant soirees and wined and dined luminaries and celebrities. The club here is 67 Pall Mall's third, after London and Verbier in Switzerland. It had previously announced upcoming club openings in Melbourne, Australia, as well as in France's Bordeaux and Beaune. Members have access to its clubs around the world. Entrance to the Grand Mansion. PHOTO: 67 PALL MALL As for the Shanghai club, it will comprise around 14,300 sq ft and carry a wine list of 5,000 by the bottle and 1,000 by the glass from 40 countries. The mansion's grandeur will be showcased and it will include spaces such as a Grand Salon, a sunroom overlooking the gardens, a whisky bar and multiple private rooms. The Grand Mansion is a former diplomatic landmark that has housed various bureaus and served as the residence of some of China's prominent magnates, including industrialist and banker Sheng Zhushu. It has also hosted several high-profile events, including negotiations between former US president Richard Nixon and former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in 2001 attended by then US president George W Bush.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
PM Wong to visit China, where he will discuss cooperation to strengthen rules-based order
PM Lawrence Wong said he hopes to build closer ties with Chinese leaders, especially with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. PHOTO: MDDI PM Wong to visit China, where he will discuss cooperation to strengthen rules-based order SINGAPORE – The world is in a state of flux, and countries big and small have to do their part to manage geopolitical tensions and rivalry carefully so as to minimise the risk of conflict and war, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV ahead of his first visit to China as prime minister, he said a key priority is to discuss broader regional and global developments with Chinese leaders, and explore how both countries can work together to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based international order. He also said that he hopes to build closer ties with the Chinese leaders, especially with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. His visit from June 22 to June 26 was announced on June 20 by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, who said PM Wong will be meeting Mr Xi, Mr Li and Mr Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress. The visit comes as strategic rivalry between the United States and China has triggered supply chain disruptions, technological decoupling, and growing fears that other countries may eventually be forced to pick sides. The US has also imposed sweeping tariffs on much of the world, including Singapore, with particularly high duties on China. 'We are in the midst of a very messy and unpredictable transition,' PM Wong said in the interview, aired on the CCTV programme Leaders Talk on June 20. He noted that the US had helped shape the global order after World War II – an order that benefited all countries, including China and the US itself – which is now under strain as America signals a desire to pull back from it. 'There is no country in the world today that can replace the US, no one. So what is our alternative? I think frankly, at this stage, no one knows the answer,' he said. PM Wong said it will take time for a new equilibrium to emerge. Unlike the post–Cold War era, which was dominated by a single superpower, he believes the new global order will be shaped by countries both large and small. But in the meantime, the transition is potentially dangerous. 'Without clear global leadership and coordination, there are many things that can go wrong in this world,' he warned, urging all countries to manage geopolitical tensions and rivalry carefully to minimise the risk of conflict and war. PM Wong will emphasise the importance of upholding a rules-based multilateral order when he attends a World Economic Forum event in Tianjin next week. The event, officially called the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, is commonly known as Summer Davos. In the interview with CCTV, he acknowledged that today's multilateral system is not perfect, but said it should be reformed and improved – not abandoned – to better serve all countries. Asked about his top concern for Singapore, PM Wong said the increasingly fragmented global environment poses challenges for a small, open economy like Singapore, which depends heavily on trade. But while global supply chains are being reshaped and countries seek greater self-sufficiency, he stressed that trade will continue, albeit in new configurations. Singapore, he said, must stay competitive and relevant to remain a key node in shifting trade and investment flows, and is working with like-minded partners to uphold free trade and a rules-based system. Within Asean, efforts are under way to deepen integration and lower trade barriers. Singapore is also strengthening ties with key Asian economies such as China, India, Japan and South Korea, while reaching out to further markets in the European Union, Latin America, and Africa. 'I believe in every crisis, there will always be opportunities, and so we are finding ways to seize new opportunities for ourselves and for other countries,' he said. Mr Wong described the relationship between Singapore and China as 'a very close and steadfast partnership', nurtured over generations of leaders. 'So I hope to do the same in my visit with Chinese leaders, especially with President Xi and Premier Li, and I think the close ties at the leadership level sets the tone for the overall relationship.' A key objective of his trip to China will be to reaffirm a shared commitment to bilateral cooperation, as Singapore and China mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties. The cooperation led to the three government-to-government projects of Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-city and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative. Asked if he envisioned introducing a new project during his term, PM Wong said that he does not consider existing projects as completed and done with, but platforms that can continually host new areas of cooperation. This is in line with bilateral ties, which were upgraded in 2023 to an All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership. PM Wong is no stranger to China, having visited almost every year since entering politics in 2011. He described the transformation he witnessed in China as 'nothing short of an economic miracle'. In the interview, he expressed confidence in China's economy despite global headwinds, citing its strong track record and capable leaders who are willing to adapt. Most of all, he said, his optimism stems from the determination of the Chinese people to keep moving forward and improve their lives. 'It's a remarkable transformation, and I continue to wish China every success in its journey of modernisation,' he said. Yew Lun Tian is a senior foreign correspondent who covers China for The Straits Times. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
