Malaysia’s stronger ringgit fails to deter Singapore shoppers

Malaysia’s Ringgit may have rebounded against the Singapore-dollar" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="19836" data-entity-type="organization">Singapore dollar, but its recent strengthening has done little to deter cross-border shoppers from flocking across the causeway for Lunar New Year bargains.Traders at festive markets across Johor Bahru have reported brisk business from Singapore-based visitors, with many expecting sales to climb further as celebrations draw nearer.Kenny Ng, 29, who sells traditional Malaysian Chinese snacks at the Johor Jaya Lunar New Year market, said more than half of his customers this season were from Singapore.“Many have gotten used to shopping online, but this year we can finally see people reverting to physical purchases,” he said.“This has contributed to the larger crowd this year; both locals and Singaporeans. In fact, we also have buses dropping Singaporean customers off to shop here before picking them up a few hours later to head back.”The Malaysian city of Johor Bahru, with heavy traffic on the Johor-Singapore Causeway at dusk. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphotoNg expects footfall to grow in the coming days, particularly on the final weekend before the festive period. “That has been the trend, and I believe we will see something similar this year,” he said.