RTS Link to intensify competition for Singapore retailers, F&B operators as spending in JB rises: Study
The upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is expected to intensify cross-border competition, and local businesses will need to sharpen their value propositions instead of competing primarily on price.A study commissioned by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) and Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) projects that Singaporeans will spend an additional $1.05 billion annually on retail and F&B purchases in Johor Bahru (JB) once the RTS Link opens.At the same time, local businesses stand to gain an estimated $756 million annually from JB visitors, resulting in an additional net annual spending outflow of about $290 million — 0.4 per cent of Singapore's total retail and F&B sales in 2025.Released on Thursday (July 16), the study was conducted in March 2026 and surveyed around 1,700 people in Singapore and 400 in Johor. It also drew on Mastercard historical transaction data, government statistics and a case study of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen high-speed rail network.