Update 25 Nov 2023: Tiger Statue Unveiled At Tampines Ave 9 Esso Petrol Station, Next To A Primary School
On 27 Sep, Tampines residents bade farewell to the iconic Esso tiger statue, which used to grace a petrol station at Tampines Avenue 7. Turns out that its departure from the estate was only temporary — the recognisable landmark has now returned to Tampines. The sculpture now stands in front of an Esso station on Tampines Avenue 9.
Thanks to this move, the Esso tiger continues its long history with Tampines. In a Facebook post on Saturday (25 Nov), Esso Singapore revealed that the tiger statue has found a new home. The new location is just a stone’s throw away from the old one, at Tampines Avenue 9. Tampines MP Baey Yam Keng unveiled the figure that same morning.
Motorists who pass through Tampines may remember that the tiger statue once stood in front of an Esso station at Tampines Ave 7. Unfortunately, the Esso station closed down on 27 Sep, rendering the fate of the statue uncertain. Besides the tiger statue, the station was popular for its convenient location near the Tampines Expressway (TPE) exit, so motorists entering the vicinity would inevitably catch a glimpse of it. According to Mr Baey, the Esso tiger statue is one of only two in Singapore with almost 30 years of history.
Esso petrol station with iconic tiger statue at Tampines Ave 7 closes
The Esso petrol station at Tampines Avenue 7 with the iconic tiger statue has closed down after serving motorists for more than 30 years. News of its closure was shared to Facebook by Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng.
Its last day of operations was on 27 Sep. 2023. The closure was due to the lease for the service station expiring, resulting in ExxonMobil’s Esso moving out. The Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC) will replace Esso in running a petrol kiosk there.
This was after SPC won the tender with a bid of S$500,540, according to the Singapore Land Authority’s website. ExxonMobil's bid of S$376,000 was the lowest among five bidders. Other bidders included Sinopec (S$400,386), as well as Shell (S$450,000).
SPC secures iconic Esso petrol station at S$500,540 monthly rental
Last month (22 Aug), the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) announced the tender results for a 21,441.89 sqft plot intended for petrol station operations. This land, located in Tampines at 9 Tampines Ave 7, once served as the backdrop for the popular 90s local sitcom “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” Previously, ExxonMobil leased the plot for over 30 years.
The tender was secured by Singapore Petroleum Company Ltd (SPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PetroChina International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. This company is a listed entity of the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It holds the distinction of being Asia’s largest oil and gas producer. SPC’s winning bid was S$500,540 per month, totalling approximately S$54 million over the 9-year lease period. In contrast, ExxonMobil placed a bid of S$376,000.
To provide some context, SPC needs to generate at least $16,685 daily just to meet the lease expenses owed to the SLA. Considering these steep rental charges, it’s understandable why, even during periods of significant oil price drops, Singaporean oil companies might be hesitant to significantly reduce pump prices. Regardless of the volatility in oil prices, SLA continues to collect high rentals from the various oil companies operating within Singapore. In the end, these substantial rental fees are inevitably passed down to Singaporean consumers, reflected in higher pump prices.
SPC secures iconic Esso petrol station for the popular 90s local sitcom “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” at S$500,540 monthly rental
To provide some context, SPC needs to generate at least $16,685 daily just to meet the lease expenses owed to the SLA.
Assuming an average of 10c profit per litre after all discounts, they need to sell 166 850 litres of petrol every day. If each car pumps the max full tank 50 litres, still over 3000 cars a day or more than a 100 every single hour.
And this is just to meet the rent. Haven’t talk about salaries.
Don’t Worry Be Happy petrol kiosk in Tampines closes; calls to keep its tiger statue as memento
The closure of the Esso station at Tampines Avenue 7 sparked pleas from Singaporeans and MP Baey Yam Keng for a tiger statue outside the station to be retained. PHOTO: BAEY YAM KENG/FACEBOOK
A petrol station in Tampines that provided the backdrop for the popular 90s local sitcom Don’t Worry Be Happy has shuttered.
The Television Corporation of Singapore series, which was the first Singapore-produced Mandarin sitcom, revolved around a family who runs an Esso petrol station.
The Tampines Avenue 7 petrol station’s closure last Tuesday sparked pleas from Singaporeans and Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng for a tiger statue outside the station – an icon for ExxonMobil’s Esso – to be retained as a memento.
Iconic Tampines Esso With Tiger Statue Featured In Channel 8 Sitcom Closing On 27 Sep
It's located directly across the iconic red HDB estate, also featured in 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'
Iconic Esso Petrol Kiosk Along Tampines Avenue 7 to close on 27 Sep 2023.
Most motorists who stay in Tampines East would be familiar with the Esso petrol station along Tampines Avenue 7.
The station has a stone tiger statue on display, and is probably best known for its appearance in the 90s sitcom ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’. Sadly, the iconic petrol kiosk is set to close in less than two weeks’ time on 27 Sep.
Facebook page I Love Tampines announced the outlet’s imminent closure on Friday (15 Sep). The post had since garnered more than 300 shares within a few hours.
Baey Yam Keng 马炎庆 27 September at 23:40
The Esso station at Tampines Ave 7 will be closed from today (27 September). I had wanted to pump petrol one last time there after my house visit tonight. However, when I arrived just past 10pm, the station has already been hoarded up.
This petrol station at Tampines Ave 7 has a special place in many Singaporeans’ (especially Tampines residents) hearts as the lead characters of a popular 90’s sitcom《敢敢做个开心人》”Don’t Worry Be Happy” work at this petrol station. In fact, they also live right across the road at the iconic HDB Blk 497 cluster along Street 45.
While Esso will be gone from this spot, I heard that another petrol company will be taking over.In the upcoming Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) for this precinct of the HDB blocks, we have proposed a marker ”Don’t Worry Be Happy” to build on this piece of history.
Someone suggested that the iconic tiger statue at the petrol station could stay back in Tampines. Perhaps ExxonMobil Singapore could consider donating it to the NRP?
