The Niche Collective

Big is not always better. Large supermarkets can come across as impersonal and mass market. And even when brands innovate, they may not capture market loyalty – witness the meltdown of Emporium Shokuhin in 2018, billed then as the largest Japanese speciality supermarket, and the ongoing struggles of Habitat by Honestbee, a high-tech lifestyle store.

Niche and nimble food stores have always filled the spaces not occupied by supermarkets. Hipsters from the previous generation pushed the demand for healthy and organic food in the noughties, giving us Brown Rice Paradise and Supernature. Here are the niche stores to shop at.

#1 FARMER’S MARKET SINGAPORE

Expatriate entrepreneur Emma Pike started