rip, hope his next life land on sinkieland

mean sinkie ish progressing,  majulah xjp !

ah tiong  fnb taking over soon

Summary Prive Group, operating cafes and Empress restaurant, ceased operations on Aug 31, 2025, and will appoint a financial advisor. Commonwealth Concepts will take over Prive's two establishments at Asian Civilisations Museum from September 1, 2025. Singapore's restaurant industry faces closures due to economic factors; 1,724 food businesses shuttered as of August 2025. SINGAPORE – The Prive Group has closed all its restaurants, in what has been a brutal 2025 for the food and beverage industry. In a message to its suppliers, the group, which operated a chain of upmarket restaurants, said it will “cease all restaurant operations after the close of business” on Aug 31. “We will be appointing a professional independent financial advisor who will contact you in due course,” the message read. “Please note that any next steps will be handled through this advisor, and we ask for your patience as we work through this transition.” As at Aug 31, the group’s website showed it was running five establishments: Prive at Holland Village, Botanic Gardens, Wheelock Place and Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), and Chinese restaurant Empress at the museum. The message also said that the two establishments at ACM will be “taken over” by Commonwealth Concepts, with effect from Sept 1. Commonwealth Concepts, a joint venture between investment company Commonwealth Capital and Far East Organization, operates food brands such as Fat Cow, Pasta Mania, Bedrock Bar & Grill, Swissbake and Baker & Cook. The Prive Group, established in 2007, started from one upscale restaurant at Keppel Bay. It went on to operate nightlife spots such as Stereolab and Mink, both now defunct. By 2018, it had grown the Prive brand into a chain known for breezy cafe food such as Brioche Kaya Toast and Juicy Lucy Burger, and plant-based food options. Things had not been looking good. It shuttered its outlets at Jewel Changi Airport and 313 Somerset in 2025. The one at 313 Somerset was repossessed in February by Lendlease, the landlord. Another prominent outlet, at Paragon, was taken over by American coffee chain Blue Bottle, which opened there in July. The group had also been in the news in 2021. Its former chief executive, French national Jean-Luc Vu Han, was on trial for hurling vulgarities at and assaulting a teenager in an unprovoked attack in a lift. The incident, which happened on Nov 22, 2019, happened when the man was in a drunken rage, and the attack affected the then 13-year-old boy so badly that he was still scared of taking the lift about a year later. In 2022, he was sentenced to two weeks’ jail time, and had to pay a $3,500 fine for assaulting the boy. The restaurant industry has been struggling in the last three years, as post Covid-19 revenge spending halted. Diners are choosing to spend their strong Singapore dollars overseas or are tightening their belts amid global economic and political uncertainties. Operators have been struggling with high overheads and the dearth of manpower. In 2024, 3,790 new food businesses started up, and 3,047 wound down. The number of closures was an almost 20-year high, surpassed only in 2005, which saw 3,352 closures. As at August, according to figures from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, 2,333 new food businesses started up in 2025, and 1,724 have shuttered. Holland Village The turmoil has spared no type of food business; casual, upmarket or fine-dining. Notable closures this year include one-Michelin-starred restaurants Euphoria and Alma by Juan Amador, both in August. They announced their closing at the beginning of August, right after the launch of the 2025 Singapore Michelin Guide, which took place at the end of July. Fine-dining Japanese restaurant Imamura, at Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, has also shuttered. Brands such as Eggslut, Manhattan Fish Market and Burger & Lobster have packed up. Japanese restaurants and chains, ever-so-popular with diners, have also taken a beating, with ramen brands Kanada-Ya and Ramen Santouka exiting. Souffle pancake chain Fluff Stack, with five outlets, is gone too. Even food kiosks are not immune. Har Har Chicken, which sold prawn paste chicken, closed its three outlets barely a year after launching. Hotpot chain Haidilao shuttered its flagship restaurant at Clarke Quay on Aug 31, when the lease expired. The restaurant opened in 2012 and marked the chain’s entry into Singapore. Earlier in 2025, it closed its suburban restaurants in Bedok, Pasir Ris and Punggol. There is more to come. In September, heritage restaurant Ka-Soh in Greenwood Avenue, Flourish Bakehouse at the Singapore Management University, and halal bakery Fluff Bakery in North Bridge Road, are expected to close. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/prive-group-shuts-all-its-restaurants-the-latest-fb-casualty

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