Commentary: Robinsons shuttered for good. Does Singapore have too much retail space? Toggle share menu Advertisement Commentary: Robinsons shuttered for good. Does Singapore have too much retail space? Robinson’s closure should provoke a rethinking of the department store model, not a complete eradication of it, say NUS Institute of Real Estate and Urban Studies’ Lau Li Min and Sing Tien Foo. Composite images of Robinson's at the Heeren (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman), person shopping online (Photo: Unsplash), ION's Esprit store (Photo: ION Orchard) and Raffles Place Arcade (Photo: Jeremy Long). 09 Mar 2021 09:49AM) Share this content SINGAPORE: It’s been more than a month since Robinsons called it quits.