INTRO | WHERE WE CAME FROM | PHOTO GALLERY | MEDIA
The story of TANGS is the story of how the vision, fortitude and integrity of a young Chinese immigrant from Swatow, China helped to create one of Singapore’s premier retail companies.

Its founder, Mr. Tang Choon Keng (C.K. Tang), arrived in Singapore in 1923 with just two trunks filled with linen and lace which he peddled door to door. In 1932, he set up his first store along River Valley Road, in a building named after his father. Gainurn building still stands to this day. The store was filled with curios and handicrafts as well as his trademark linen and lace.

Immediately after the Second World War, he bought a piece
of land in Orchard Road, on a site opposite a cemetery. Considered taboo at that time, C.K. Tang had the vision and foresight that this thoroughfare would one day be a thriving street in post-war Singapore.

So, in 1958, the landmark C.K. Tang Store was built. It was the first to set up a retail presence along Orchard Road and other retailers soon followed.

The distinctive pagoda-like architecture (resembling the great palaces in China) was a treasure-trove of some of the finest merchandisemainly from China and the region. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, it became the iconic shopping destination and a “must-visit” for tourists looking for a great deal.

Under the leadership of Tang Wee Sung in 1982, the second youngest in the Tang household, C.K. Tang was transformed into a fashion and fashion-related lifestyle store. It was also then that it adopted a more contemporary identity and name – TANGS.