SINGAPORE: After 32 years in business, the Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hoon stall located at Dover Crescent is looking for a buyer willing to pay S$300,000 for its name and secret recipe, as its 80-year-old owner plans for his retirement.
The stall has been run by Mr Liu Chengfu, who told Shin Min Daily News that he had been trying to sell the business for some time but had not found a buyer.
According to Mothership, Mr Liu is open to negotiations, knowing no one may take him up on his offer.
However, if he cannot find a buyer within the next year or two, he will close the stall, noting that the food business has become tougher and the market is not doing well.
Mr Liu, a father of four, first established the stall at Holland Village in 1994 but later moved out due to rising rent.
He said his children have their own careers and are not interested in taking over the business, leaving him little choice but to try to sell what he has built over three decades so he can enjoy retirement while he is still in good health.
Earlier in December, Channel News Asia reported that some long-time residents felt a fading sense of community and familiarity in Singapore’s heartlands, as small and family-run shops were replaced by newer, more commercial outlets.
Netizens online said this was because the next generation was less willing to take over family businesses, while others pointed to Singaporeans supporting foreign businesses more. /TISG
