By Jake Chng

LARGER Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) buzz "pods" - which look more like convenience stores than the usual newsstands - will be hitting high-traffic spots here.

The first such larger buzz pod, which is three times the size of a usual one, opened at Block 83, Marine Parade Central yesterday.

They will carry a wider range of products than the small pods, including soft toys and postcards.

They also come with hot-food and drink stations, offering convenience food such as curry puffs and instant noodles to consumers.

Previously, such stations could not be housed in the small pods because of space constraints.

"The smaller buzz pods are profitable, and we want to have more space in them to sell more products, so the solution was to expand them," said Mr Chua Wee Phong, executive vice-president of SPH's Circulation Department, which came up with the idea of making bigger pods three months ago.

The larger pods are expected to draw more customers than the smaller ones, he added.

The department also faced difficulties finding suitable areas with high levels of human traffic to build more of the small pods, which are standalone 9.3-sq m kiosks.

The larger pods will occupy existing shop units that SPH will rent.

In 2007, SPH upgraded its newsstands to carry a news ticker - an electronic signboard that displays breaking-news alerts - and more copies of SPH newspapers and magazines. It branded these as buzz pods and franchised them to interested individuals.

So far, 47 small buzz pods have been set up, of which 22 are located at bus interchanges and the rest in locations such as Toa Payoh Central and outside Tampines Mall.

The 48th small pod will be opened next month near Golden Shoe Car Park in Market Street.

Excelsior Hotel in Hill Street will be the next after Marine Parade to get an expanded buzz pod, on November 15.

This will take the tally to 50 buzz pods - just 20 short of the target of 70 by November next year.

Most of the new pods will be the larger ones.

When asked about the new buzz pod at Marine Parade yesterday, 13-year-old student Ju Jia Liang said: "It's very spacious and the walkway is broad. I prefer this to other convenience stores."

chngjm@sph.com.sg

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