Business & Commercial

The Business Map visualises ACRA-registered businesses across Singapore with clustered markers, a heatmap mode, and a district-level choropleth showing business density. Data is sourced from ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) business registration records, covering all active registered entities with a Singapore address. The map supports 11 industry sector filters — including F&B, Retail, Financial Services, Technology, Healthcare, Education, Construction, Logistics, Professional Services, Manufacturing, and Other. In markers mode, businesses are clustered by proximity and colour-coded by sector; clicking a cluster expands it to individual markers. In heatmap mode, the kernel-density layer shows concentration intensity without individual markers. The choropleth mode colours each district by total business count or density per square kilometre.

You can find this map on ShiokNest under the Maps tab in the Commercial section. Use the sidebar filter panel to select one or more industry sectors, toggle between markers / heatmap / choropleth display modes, and filter by business status (active / closed / all). The map pairs naturally with the Industry Trends page for time-series data on how business registration in each sector has evolved from 1970 to the present.

Residential property value is partly a function of the commercial ecosystem surrounding it. A neighbourhood with a high density of stable F&B, retail, and professional services businesses has stronger foot traffic, better amenity provision, and more employment within walking or cycling distance — all factors that support rental demand and occupancy rates. The Business Map lets you verify this commercial ecosystem before committing to a purchase or investment, rather than relying on an agent's description of a neighbourhood as "vibrant" or "up-and-coming."

The most actionable use of this map is the sector-filter heatmap. Filter for F&B businesses only and switch to heatmap mode: the resulting concentration map shows you exactly where Singapore's restaurant and cafe density peaks — not just the known hotspots like Orchard and Clarke Quay, but also the secondary nodes in D15 (Katong), D12 (Toa Payoh Central), and D20 (Bishan North) that sustain strong rental demand from younger professionals and families. A 2-bedroom investor unit located within a genuine F&B and retail cluster commands a broader tenant audience than an equivalent unit in a residential-only neighbourhood with minimal walkable retail.

For buyers evaluating commercial property or office space, the Technology and Financial Services sector filters reveal the concentration of fintech, tech, and professional-services firms by district. D3 (Alexandra / one-north), D14 (Paya Lebar), and D9/D10 (Orchard fringe) show the highest concentrations. Cross-referencing these clusters with the commercial rental index (available on the Commercial analytics page) lets investors assess whether a target commercial property is in a sector-demand-aligned location or in a district with softer commercial occupancy.

The choropleth mode is valuable for a district-level overview before drilling down to markers. Switching to "density per km²" normalises the business count for district area — so large-area planning zones like D17 (Loyang/Changi) do not appear dominant purely by total business count when the per-km² density is actually low. This normalised view more accurately reflects the commercial vibrancy that residents experience at street level. Use this alongside the Commute Time Map and Heatmap Layers for a complete neighbourhood quality assessment.