Cold Storage launched a do-it-yourself checkout scheme at its Tanglin Market Place outlet on 1 Sep 2003. Customers can scan, pay and bag their own purchases. However, Cold Storage "will not replace the personalised conventional checkout service", said its CEO Mr Silvestro Morabito. (Straits Times 2 Sep 2003 5).

  NTUC Fairprice's 66 stores will absorb, for one year, the extra 2 percentage points for GST for 400 staple items, including rice, oil and sugar, said NTUC secretary-general LIM Boon Heng yesterday. This will cost the supermarket chain up to S$6 million in foregone revenue. NTUC Unity, which operates 30 pharmacies here, will absorb, also for one year, the extra GST on prescription and over-the-counter medicines. The other NTUC co-operative that will absorb the increase is NTUC Foodfare. (Straits Times 6 May 2002) (1)

  New player ITU Superstore, which has a branch each in Ang Mo Kio and Ghim Moh, has an in-house, low-interest credit card system that allows customers to charge up to S$500 worth of groceries. Customers need only show that they are Singaporeans or permanent residents, that they own a Housing Board flat or have a rental lease of more than a year, and have a regular salary. The minimum payment per month is 25 per cent of toal purchases that month. No interest is charged for prompt payment. Outstanding balances are charged interest at 1.5 per cent a month. (Straits Times 9 Apr 2002) (H3)

  NTUC Fairprice, Singapore's No.1 grocer, is building its biggest store in Ang Mo Kio. When ready in 2006, the mega-supermarket will sell - apart from groceries - electrical goods, clothes, shoes and accessories. However, at 60,000 sq ft, the new store will be about two-thirds that of Carrefour in Suntec City and just over half the size of Giant in IMM Building in Jurong East. (Straits Times 25 Mar 2002) (1)

  NTUC Fairprice yesterday announced that it will be adding another 200 items, on top of the 200 items announced earlier, to its discount list from January 2002. The cuts will last until the end of the year and will cost the co-operative a total of S$21.3 million. (Straits Times 12 Dec 2001) (1)

From now till Dec 2002, workers can enjoy up to 20 per cent discount on rice and a basket of 200 other essential items at NTUC Fairprice supermarkets. They can also look forward to an additional 5 per cent discount on toiletries, vitamins, baby products and some 1,000 popular healthcare products at Unity NTUC Healthcare pharmacy outlets around Singapore (Straits Times 10 Dec 2001) (3)

  Six new POSBank banking centres will be set up in selected Fairprice outlets by the end of this year. These centres - which are about the size of two carpark lots - will have automated banking facilities, such as ATMs, which will enable customers to deposit and withdraw money. There will also be machines for updating passbooks and phone lines which link customers directly to DBS's Contact Centre. There are plans to build such centres at more Fairprice outlets next year. (Straits Times 26 Apr 2001)