Shopping in Hougang & the North-East

This hub covers the neighbourhood malls of the North-East, from the big hub malls built over MRT stations to the small, practical ones where people buy groceries and see the dentist. If you live in Hougang, Kovan, Buangkok, Serangoon, Sengkang or Punggol, there is almost certainly a mall within a short walk or one LRT stop, and our guides explain what is inside each one, which supermarket it has and how to get there.

Malls in Hougang, Kovan and Buangkok

The main one is Hougang Mall, beside Hougang MRT and the bus interchange, which has been open since 1997 and is being upgraded, with a rebuilt library due upstairs. Further north, Hougang Green Shopping Mall is a small four-storey mall on Hougang Street 51, best known for its 24-hour Giant supermarket. In Kovan, Heartland Mall is a compact neighbourhood mall next to the MRT and the market, with a Cold Storage and a POPULAR bookstore. At Buangkok, Sengkang Grand Mall puts a mall, a hawker centre, a community club and a bus interchange together above the station.

Other North-East malls worth knowing

The biggest of the North-East malls is NEX in Serangoon, with more than 300 shops over an MRT and bus interchange and a library on the roof. In Sengkang, Compass One is the town-centre mall on top of the MRT, LRT and bus interchange, while Rivervale Mall on the East Loop gained a new Sheng Siong in September 2026. Punggol has the most choice: Punggol Plaza, the town’s first mall, with a basement wet market, and the newer Punggol Coast Mall on top of Punggol Coast MRT in the Digital District.

Need groceries at midnight? Our 24-hour supermarket list covers more than 30 round-the-clock outlets across the region, most of them in HDB neighbourhood centres rather than malls.

Every shopping guide is listed below by area. Shops change often, so check each mall’s own directory before a special trip.