Unleash Your “Best Friend” At nex

Singapore, 10th November 2009 – Gold Ridge Pte Ltd today unveiled plans for nex's dog park – the first of its kind within a mall. Scheduled to be launched when the new mall at Serangoon Central opens its doors by end 2010, the dog park will be located on level four of nex's roof garden. The dog park at nex is one of the many initiatives by the landlord, Gold Ridge Pte Ltd, to provide a one-stop shopping, education, entertainment and leisure experience for visitors to the mall.

"Introducing a dog park within the mall is part of our vision to offer green enclaves with functional uses within our mall. We hope that with the introduction of a designated dog area at nex, perhaps we can attract a new group of regular mall visitors who are pet lovers and living in the Serangoon area," said Mr Tong Kok Wing, General Manager at Guthrie Consultancy Services Pte Ltd, which provides project consultancy and marketing for nex.

Gold Ridge’s initiative invariably intends to help promote responsible pet ownership by providing outdoor facilities for dogs to exercise and interact. As far as public education is concerned, the dog park at nex also aims to encourage dog owners to take good care of their pets and enhance their well-being in a safe and conducive environment for activities.

Dog ownership in Singapore has been on the rise since 2007. According to the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), the number of registered dogs increased by more than 6% between 2007 and 2008. Last year, 56,280 dog licences were registered showing an increase of 3,242 dogs in Singapore compared to 2007.

Along with this changing lifestyle, a ‘pet humanisation’ trend has emerged showing a tendency towards healthier diets as well as better overall pet care. Pets in Singapore are generally considered as part of the family, be it as companions to single individuals or children’s best friends during their free time at home. Thus, the dog park at nex will provide an ideal opportunity for owners and their dogs to spend more time together and allow dogs to enjoy their time at play.

The dog park facility at nex is set aside for dogs to exercise and play in an off-leash environment under the supervision of their owners. The dog park will incorporate a variety of interactive play equipment for dogs with a few benches under a shaded trellis for owners, all within a fenced up-area. This will undoubtedly offer a community setting in which people can gather and socialise while observing the interaction of dogs at play.

The approximately 2,000-square-feet dog park will be opened to the public during the mall's opening hours. To visit the dog park, dog owners and their pets may use designated lifts located within the mall and by escalators on the exterior of nex. Dogs are prohibited from accessing other parts of the mall.

Pet owners can also look forward to shop at The Pet Safari store conveniently located on the same level as the dog park. The Pet Safari, owned by Pet Lovers Centre Pte Ltd, one of the largest pet food retailers in Singapore, will occupy over 5,000 square feet of space in a double-storey unit at nex.

The mega thematic Pet Safari outlet will offer a range of comprehensive and quality services including pet food and accessories as well as veterinary services and live pets for sale. The Pet Safari concept store located at nex is the third of its kind in Singapore.

"The dog park at nex is a great idea and as passionate dog lovers ourselves, we are happy to be locating our Pet Safari concept store beside it. The green landscape on the roof garden creates a pleasant recreational escape for pet lovers and those wanting to find a new pet can also visit The Pet Safari,” said Mr Ng Whye Hoe, Managing Director of Pet Lovers Centre Pte Ltd.

nex has announced that over 70% of its retail space has been committed and anchor tenants to-date include Challenger, Cold Storage, Courts, Fairprice Xtra, Food Junction, Food Republic, Isetan, Party World, Shaw Cineplex, Shokutsu 10 and Virtualand.

Slated to open by end 2010, nex will be the largest mall in North East Singapore with over 600,000 sq ft of net lettable area. Located at 23 Serangoon Central, nex is a six-storey mall, fully integrated with a new 16-bay bus interchange and the Serangoon Interchange station where the North East Line and the Circle Line converge.

- END -

Owner of nex

Gold Ridge Pte Ltd is the owner and developer of the retail project nex. The ultimate shareholders of Gold Ridge Pte Ltd - a special-purpose vehicle incorporated to develop the project, comprise mainly institutional investors from USA and Europe. Pramerica Real Estate Investors (Asia) Pte Ltd is the investment manager for these investors in relation to nex. Established in 1994, Pramerica provides real estate investment management and advisory services for property investments throughout Asia. It is the Asian arm of the global real estate investment management and advisory business of Prudential Financial, Inc. of the United States, which offers a broad range of global products and funds to institutional investors worldwide. Its existing shopping centre portfolio includes Tiong Bahru Plaza, Century Square, Hougang Mall, White Sands, Liang Court, Jurong Point 2 and Tampines 1. Pramerica is a tradename of Prudential Financial, which is headquartered in the United States and is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc of the United Kingdom.

Guthrie Consultancy Services Pte Ltd

Guthrie Consultancy Services Pte Ltd is the project manager, retail consultant and marketing manager for the retail project nex. It is part of Guthrie GTS Ltd, a company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Guthrie Group’s core businesses encompass the property, engineering and leisure sectors. The Group’s Property Division is a major retail player in both the local and regional markets; which directly or indirectly owns and manages more than three million square feet of retail real estate.

For media queries, please contact:

Florence Ang
Red Dawn Communications
T: +65 6222 4704
M: +65 9691 1404
florence@reddawnpr.com

Rebecca Zaccheus
Guthrie Consultancy Services Pte Ltd
T: +65 6460 7645
M: +65 9386 7144
rebeccaz@guthrie-gts.com