Bouldering gym Boruda closes Alexandra outlet after lease talks fall through
Boruda, a popular bouldering gym on Alexandra Road, shut its doors on 7 July 2025 after failing to reach a resolution with its landlord over lease terms. The closure adds to growing concerns about rising commercial rents squeezing small businesses in Singapore.
- Boruda ceased operations at Alexandra Road from 7 July 2025
- Closure follows unsuccessful talks with landlord over rental terms
- Adds to broader concerns about rising rents and SME closures
SINGAPORE: Bouldering gym Boruda has announced it will cease operations at its Alexandra Road outlet from 7 July 2025.
The closure follows alleged unsuccessful discussions with its landlord, reportedly related to rental terms.
In an Instagram post on 6 July, the gym shared: “After careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to cease operations at Boruda, effective 7 July 2025.”
It cited the absence of a favourable resolution with the landlord as a key factor.
“We’ve done our best to keep the gym running, but we’ve reached a point where continuing is no longer feasible without favourable resolutions from these discussions,” the statement read.
Located at 991A Alexandra Road, Boruda opened in September 2021. According to its website, the gym sought to introduce Singapore to the Japanese ethos of bouldering, focusing on community and climbing culture.
The Instagram post encouraged customers with active passes or memberships to continue using them at Boulder Planet Singapore’s other outlets. Staff will remain available to assist members during the transition.
The post did not specify whether a rent hike directly led to the closure, though a check on Google Maps already lists the site as “Permanently closed.”
Rising rents hurting small businesses
Boruda’s closure adds to growing unease about increasing commercial rents, which have put pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially in retail and F&B.
While Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) data showed a modest 0.5 per cent dip in retail rents in the first quarter of 2025, many businesses say conditions remain difficult.
An average of 450 retail outlets shuttered every month during this period.
A Reuters report in April highlighted that closures averaged 307 per month between January and April 2025, up from 254 in 2024 and about 230 in both 2023 and 2022.
Last year alone saw over 3,000 F&B establishments close — the highest figure since 2005.
In May, a bakery near Sembawang Road reported a 15 per cent rent increase, while a cake shop in Siglap saw its rent jump from S$5,400 to S$8,500, prompting its owner to shut down.
Calls for rental reform
On 12 June, advocacy group Singapore Tenants United For Fairness (SGTUFF) urged the government to introduce structural reforms to help SMEs survive.
Their proposals included linking rental caps to inflation and reassessing national priorities for commercial land use and urban planning.
SGTUFF also called for short-term relief measures and long-term policy recalibration to ensure fairer terms for tenants in an increasingly costly retail landscape.
