Home-grown department store Robinsons is flying the Singapore flag at its new store in Jem.

One highlight of Robinsons Jem in Jurong East, which opens officially tomorrow, is a section on the womenswear floor which is dedicated to local designers. This concept is a first for Robinsons, which marks its 155th anniversary this year.

The section is marked out by a wall listing the six labels on offer: Cruise, Foreword, Light by Sabrina Goh, MU, Pauline Ning and Odds by Reckless Ericka.

Mr Franz Kraatz, Robinsons Singapore's managing director, says: "We felt that as an iconic Singaporean brand, it is important that we help young Singaporean designers to showcase their work."

The new section will be a permanent fixture and the brands will be treated like any other label stocked in the store.

"This is a commercial enterprise so, naturally, they need to be successful. If a brand doesn't perform, we'll re-evaluate it," he adds.

Mr Kraatz says: "We're taking these local brands to the next level by giving them the chance to compete with international brands, whereas Parco is more localised." This is a key difference between Robinsons and the Parco Next Next fashion incubator project launched by Parco Marina Bay in 2010.

Robinsons hopes to introduce more Singaporean labels to its other stores here by October.

Ms Afton Chen, one of the two designers behind Reckless Ericka, which also has a stand-alone store in Orchard Central, says: "It's great that a big department store such as Robinsons is reaching out to Singaporean designers."

She hopes her brand will gain more exposure and expand its customer base, as she says shoppers who frequent department stores do not usually visit her store.

Robinsons' new 85,000 sq ft store, which spans four floors and is about as big as its outlet in Raffles City, marks its first foray into the suburban retail scene.

It represents a new generation of Robinsons stores in terms of both its physical environment and product offerings, says Mr Kraatz.

Besides home-grown labels, Robinsons Jem will also stock about 70 new brands across all departments.

These include 26 new-to-market labels, which are currently not available at its two other stores - in The Centrepoint and Raffles City. The new-to-market brands include two from Thailand - menswear label Project 1.1 by Greyhound and men's accessories label Kor Por Or.

With Jem's focus on a younger market, Robinsons also made a conscious decision to stock new brands that offer lower price points.

"Each store caters to its specific location," says Mr Kraatz, who estimates that the average price point for labels stocked in Robinsons Jem is about 20 per cent lower than that at its other stores.

The shift towards a more contemporary look and feel will not be confined to Robinsons Jem.

The company plans to employ the same modern concept for its upcoming South-east Asian flagship store, which is slated to open in October.

Called Robinsons Orchard, it will take over the former Heeren building and offer 180,000 sq ft of retail space over six floors.

This is proving to be an eventful year for the home-grown chain, which is owned by the Dubai-based conglomerate, the Al-Futtaim group.

Robinsons' 130,000 sq ft store in The Centrepoint will close next year, after 30 years. It shut its 30,000 sq ft store in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands last month after two years. Mr Kraatz says this was because the space was not big enough as "customers expect a full-fledged department store which sells everything when they step into Robinsons".

"Every store evolves. You can't always be stuck in time; you need to move on and push boundaries," says Mr Kraatz.

While he declines to reveal more details about the new Orchard flagship store, he says it could work with home-grown designers to produce exclusive capsule collections.

"We feel that Singaporean design has reached a level where it is important for us to showcase the works," he says.

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