An elderly hawker in Singapore is forced to close his stall after a significant rent increase by the new coffee shop operator. The previous operator, however, is criticized for his handling of the situation.
Leo Shang De, an elderly hawker, decided to close his stall on February 26th after the new coffee shop operator planned to triple his monthly rent from $930 to $3,000. Before running the stall, Leo had worked in Denmark with his brother for over 10 years in the food and beverage industry. Upon returning to Singapore , he wanted to start his own business and initially helped out at a friend's steel factory before settling on selling food items like chicken rice, wanton mee, and prawn noodles.
He later became interested in vegetarianism through religion and decided to promote healthy dining options at his stall.\Leo expressed his frustration with the significant rent increase, stating that he only earns enough to get by and cannot afford such a hefty amount. He informed Shin Min Daily News that he planned to bid for a stall at a government-owned hawker centre to continue his business. The existing coffee shop operator gave Leo an ultimatum to clear his stall by Friday, February 28th, to make way for the new operators. This caused tension as Leo claimed the operator rushed him while he was moving his belongings in the morning, despite Leo's assurance that the move would be completed by 6 pm, with only one refrigerator remaining to be transported. Leo also requested a refund for two days' rent, amounting to $62, as he closed his stall on February 26th, but the existing operator refused.\Fortunately, the new coffee shop operator stepped in and kindly paid out of his own pocket to refund Leo's two days' rent, advising him not to be angry. Workers' Party chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh showed his support for Leo by visiting him and his wife, sharing a photo on Instagram and mentioning that Leo and his wife intend to take a short rest before restarting their business at a new location nearby. The previous coffee shop operator responded to Leo's allegations, stating that he had informed all stallholders that they needed to vacate their stalls before Saturday, March 1st, to allow the venue to be handed over to the new operator for renovation. However, he admitted to speaking inappropriately on Friday, stating that he was caught up in the heat of the moment. Regarding his refusal to return Leo's two days' rent, he explained that all stalls were closed on February 26th and the current coffee shop owner had not returned his rental payment
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