+65 8901 7972
中文 EN
Singapore Commercial Property
Back to Blog
Reviews Published

World Publication Building Review

World Publication Building Review
Industrial & Commercial Property Review — District 14

World Publication Building

A B1 light industrial address on Ubi Road 1, within a five-minute walk of MacPherson interchange station

SGCPI Research Desk Updated August 2026 39 Ubi Road 1, Singapore 408695 30-YR LEASEHOLD

Street-level view of World Publication Building, 39 Ubi Road 1, Singapore 408695. Imagery: Google Street View (user-contributed imagery), accessed August 2026.

Project Overview

Building NameWorld Publication Building
Address39 Ubi Road 1, Singapore 408695
DistrictDistrict 14 (Eunos / Geylang / Paya Lebar)
Tenure30-year Leasehold
Zoning / UseB1 Light Industrial (ancillary office component)
Built Form≈8-storey light industrial building with ancillary offices
Land Area / GFA≈5,136 sqm land / ≈12,840 sqm GFA
Completion Year≈1996
Nearest MRTMacPherson (CC10/DT26), Tai Seng (CC11)
Key Road AccessPan Island Expressway (PIE), Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE)
Transacted PSF Range≈S$550 – S$650 psf
Sale Price Range≈S$650,000 – S$1.6 million
Asking Rent RangeS$1,667 – S$28,500 per month
Occupier BaseBook and educational publishers, e-commerce and automotive-parts distributors, light manufacturing and general SME tenants

Location & Connectivity

World Publication Building sits on Ubi Road 1, in the heart of Singapore’s central-eastern light industrial belt, roughly nine kilometres from the city centre. The immediate surrounds are dominated by low- and mid-rise industrial stock of a similar era, giving the micro-market a fairly consistent character: functional, owner-occupier and SME-heavy, with a steady churn of logistics, print, e-commerce and light manufacturing tenants rather than large corporate headquarters.

Connectivity is a genuine strength for a building of this age and location. MacPherson MRT interchange (Circle Line CC10 / Downtown Line DT26) is within roughly 500 to 750 metres, putting the building inside a comfortable walking radius, while Tai Seng station (CC11) is a short distance further along the Circle Line. For drivers, the Pan Island Expressway and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway are both close by, giving fast access east to Changi, west toward the CBD and Jurong, and north toward the Central Expressway network.

Amenity provision around Ubi Road 1 is practical rather than lifestyle-driven: nearby options include Sheng Siong and NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, food centres and coffee shops serving the industrial workforce, and newer mixed-use developments such as Grantral Mall @ Macpherson, 18 Tai Seng and The Commerze @ Irving, which have brought a wider range of F&B and retail choices within a short drive or MRT ride.

Location of World Publication Building. Map data: Google Maps, accessed August 2026.

Building & Facilities

World Publication Building is a light industrial development of around eight storeys, combining production and storage floorplates with ancillary office space — a configuration typical of B1-zoned buildings from the mid-1990s. Floor-to-floor heights and cargo lift provision are geared toward light manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and workshop-type uses rather than pure office occupation, though several floors have been fitted out as conventional offices for publishing, trading and services tenants.

Common facilities reflect the building’s age and function: passenger and cargo lift lobbies, loading and unloading bays at ground level, and shared corridors finished to a functional industrial standard. Units are typically handed over in bare or lightly fitted condition, meaning incoming tenants and owners should budget for their own fit-out — flooring, partitioning, air-conditioning and cabling — as part of any occupation cost.

As with any industrial asset of this vintage, prospective buyers and tenants should conduct their own due diligence on the building’s maintenance records, fire safety certification, and the management corporation’s (MCST) financial position before committing, and should verify current URA zoning and permitted-use conditions directly rather than relying solely on marketing material.

Unit Types & Floor Plan Notes

Units at World Publication Building range from compact single-lot spaces suited to small operators through to larger combined floorplates for warehousing or production lines. The four indicative profiles below reflect the range of sizes typically advertised for sale or lease in the building.

Compact Unit

≈926 – 1,335 sqft

Entry-level lots suited to small trading, distribution or workshop operations, or as a satellite office for a light industrial business.

Mid-Size Unit

≈1,948 – 2,600 sqft

A common size band for SME occupiers needing combined office and storage or light assembly space under one roof.

Large Unit

≈3,000 – 4,898 sqft

Suited to logistics, e-commerce fulfilment or manufacturing tenants needing greater floor area and loading access.

Combined / Multi-Lot

≈5,000 sqft and above

Achieved by combining adjoining units on the same floor, typically for larger single-occupier operations or corporate tenants.

Ceiling Height: ≈4.5m typical for lower-floor industrial lots
Floor Loading: ≈7.5 kN/sqm, standard for B1 light industrial use
Loading Bays: Ground-floor loading/unloading bays with 40-footer accessibility on select bays
Vertical Access: Passenger and cargo lifts serving all floors
Power Supply: Three-phase electrical supply available, subject to individual unit metering

Investment Case

World Publication Building occupies a fairly typical position among 1990s-vintage B1 light industrial stock on Ubi Road: it is not a landmark asset, but it benefits from unusually strong MRT proximity for an industrial building of its era, which supports leasing demand from smaller occupiers who value staff and client accessibility.

What Works

  • Genuine walking-distance access to MacPherson interchange station, unusual for older B1 stock
  • Direct expressway access via PIE and KPE for logistics-oriented tenants
  • Diverse, resilient occupier base spanning publishing, e-commerce and light manufacturing
  • Flexible unit sizing, from compact lots to combined multi-lot floorplates
  • Established industrial precinct with growing surrounding amenities

What to Weigh Carefully

  • Remaining lease under a 30-year tenure structure limits long-term holding and financing flexibility
  • Building age means higher likelihood of near-term maintenance and fit-out capital expenditure
  • Sparse recent transaction data makes fair-value benchmarking harder for buyers
  • B1 zoning restricts occupier types to permitted light industrial and ancillary uses
  • Older lift and common-area infrastructure relative to newer industrial parks nearby

Who This Suits

World Publication Building tends to suit small and mid-sized businesses that need functional light industrial or ancillary office space with strong public transport access, rather than investors seeking a marquee asset or long-hold capital appreciation play. Typical fits include publishing and printing-related trades, e-commerce and parts distributors, light assembly or workshop operators, and logistics tenants who value the combination of MRT proximity and expressway access. Owner-occupiers comfortable underwriting a shorter remaining leasehold, and landlords targeting steady rental demand from this occupier profile, are likely to find the building’s fundamentals more compelling than investors purely chasing capital growth or long-dated tenure security.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the permitted use for units at World Publication Building?
Units are zoned B1 Light Industrial, meaning permitted uses generally cover light manufacturing, workshops, warehousing, logistics and distribution, together with ancillary office space directly supporting an approved industrial activity. Pure office use, retail, or residential occupation is not permitted under this zoning. Buyers and tenants intending to run a business that does not clearly fall within light industrial or ancillary categories should verify the specific use against URA’s Master Plan and, where relevant, seek written confirmation of permitted use from URA before committing to a purchase or lease, since enforcement action can follow unauthorised use of B1-zoned premises.
Can foreigners buy a unit at World Publication Building?
Industrial property in Singapore, including B1 light industrial units such as those at World Publication Building, is generally open to foreign individual and corporate buyers without the restrictions that apply to residential land under the Residential Property Act. Foreign buyers can typically purchase industrial units in their personal name or through a Singapore-incorporated company. That said, financing terms, loan-to-value ratios and interest rates may differ for foreign buyers compared with Singapore citizens or permanent residents, so early engagement with a bank or mortgage broker is advisable to confirm eligibility and indicative loan quantum before making an offer.
Does Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) apply to industrial purchases?
ABSD in Singapore applies specifically to residential property purchases and does not apply to industrial units such as those at World Publication Building. Buyers of industrial property instead pay the standard Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) calculated on the higher of purchase price or market value, without an additional residential-style surcharge for foreign buyers, entities, or multiple property ownership. This is one reason industrial assets attract investors seeking to diversify outside the residential ABSD regime. Buyers should still confirm current rates with IRAS or their conveyancing lawyer at the time of purchase, since stamp duty frameworks are periodically revised.
Is Seller’s Stamp Duty (SSD) a concern when reselling an industrial unit?
Yes. Industrial properties in Singapore are subject to Seller’s Stamp Duty if sold within the holding period set by IRAS, which has historically been up to three years from purchase, with rates tapering the longer the property is held before resale. SSD is calculated on the higher of the sale price or market value at disposal. For a leasehold asset like World Publication Building, this makes short-term flipping strategies less attractive, and buyers should factor SSD exposure into their holding-period planning from the outset rather than assuming a quick resale is cost-free.
How is Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) calculated for this type of purchase?
BSD for industrial property purchases in Singapore is calculated on a tiered percentage basis applied to the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher, following IRAS’s published BSD schedule. Unlike residential purchases, there is no ABSD layered on top for industrial assets, which keeps total upfront stamp duty comparatively lower. For a unit at World Publication Building priced in the hundreds of thousands to low millions, BSD would typically fall in the low single-digit percentage range of the purchase price. Buyers should obtain an exact figure from their conveyancing lawyer or IRAS’s online calculator before finalising a purchase budget.
Does GST apply when buying or leasing a unit here?
GST treatment depends on the seller’s or landlord’s GST-registration status rather than the property type itself. If the vendor or lessor is GST-registered, GST is generally chargeable on the sale price or rental of a commercial or industrial property such as a unit at World Publication Building, since industrial property is treated as a taxable supply rather than an exempt residential supply. Buyers and tenants should clarify GST status and, where applicable, factor the prevailing GST rate into their total cost calculations, and confirm with their lawyer or accountant whether any GST incurred can be claimed back if the buyer is itself GST-registered.
How does the remaining lease affect financing options?
World Publication Building sits on a 30-year leasehold tenure, and banks typically size industrial property loans so that the loan tenure does not extend meaningfully beyond the remaining lease term, which can shorten maximum loan tenures compared with freehold or longer-leasehold assets. As the lease decays, loan-to-value ratios offered by banks may also tighten, and older industrial buildings can face more conservative valuations. Prospective buyers should request an indicative in-principle approval early, disclosing the exact remaining lease term, so financing constraints are understood before an offer is made rather than discovered during the loan process.
What kind of rental yield can an investor expect?
Based on asking rents in the region of S$2.00 to S$2.60 per square foot per month against typical industrial capital values for buildings of this age and location, gross rental yields for B1 units at World Publication Building are broadly in an estimated mid-single-digit percentage range, which is generally competitive against many residential asset classes. Actual achieved yield will depend on the specific unit’s condition, fit-out cost amortisation, vacancy periods between tenancies, and prevailing demand from SME occupiers in the Ubi–MacPherson micro-market. Investors should model net yield after service charges, property tax and maintenance rather than relying on gross figures alone.
How does the building’s age affect maintenance and running costs?
Completed in the mid-1990s, World Publication Building is now roughly three decades old, which typically means higher near-term likelihood of common-area upgrading, lift servicing, roofing or facade works compared with newer industrial developments. Owners should budget for periodic sinking fund top-ups and be prepared for MCST-led capital works over a medium-term holding horizon. On the individual unit level, older mechanical and electrical fittings may also need earlier replacement. None of this is unusual for a building of this vintage, but it should be factored into total cost of ownership rather than assessed on purchase price alone.
What are the odds of an en-bloc sale or redevelopment at this site?
There is no public indication of an active en-bloc or collective sale process at World Publication Building at the time of writing, and industrial en-bloc sales in Singapore generally occur less frequently than residential ones due to more fragmented ownership, lower per-unit values, and stricter approval thresholds under the Land Titles (Strata) Act. Redevelopment potential would also depend on the site’s remaining lease, URA’s Master Plan intentions for the Ubi/Geylang industrial corridor, and whether a developer sees sufficient uplift to justify a collective sale. Buyers should treat en-bloc potential as a low-probability, long-dated possibility rather than a core part of the investment case.
What parking and loading provisions are available?
World Publication Building provides ground-level loading and unloading bays, with at least some bays reported as accessible to 40-foot trailers, which supports tenants running logistics or distribution operations. Car parking provision for staff and visitors is typical of buildings of this era and location, generally on a first-come basis rather than guaranteed reserved lots, and may be constrained during peak hours given the density of industrial occupiers along Ubi Road. Businesses with heavy delivery schedules or large vehicle fleets should confirm current loading bay availability and any booking or time-slot arrangements directly with the building’s management before committing to a unit.
What are typical maintenance or MCST fees for a unit here?
Maintenance fees at World Publication Building are set by the Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) and are typically charged on a per-square-foot basis covering common-area cleaning, security, lift servicing, and building insurance, alongside contributions to the sinking fund for longer-term capital works. Exact current rates vary and should be confirmed directly with the MCST or managing agent, as they can change following AGM resolutions or major works approvals. Buyers should request the latest maintenance fee schedule and sinking fund statement as part of due diligence, since older buildings sometimes carry higher fees to cover overdue upgrading works.
How liquid is the resale market for units at World Publication Building?
Recorded sale transaction volumes at World Publication Building have been thin in recent years based on publicly available data, which is common for smaller, older B1 buildings that attract a narrower pool of owner-occupier and investor buyers compared with newer, larger industrial developments. This can mean longer marketing periods and more negotiation-driven pricing when reselling a unit, rather than the more standardised comparable-based pricing seen in actively traded projects. Owners planning an eventual exit should build in a realistic timeline for finding a buyer and consider engaging an agent experienced in the Ubi/Geylang industrial micro-market to widen exposure.
What types of businesses are best suited to units here?
Given its B1 zoning, ancillary office component and existing occupier mix, World Publication Building suits businesses such as publishing and print-related trades, e-commerce fulfilment and parts distribution, light assembly and workshop operations, and general trading or logistics firms that value MRT-adjacent access for staff and clients. It is less suited to heavy manufacturing requiring specialised utilities beyond standard three-phase power, or to businesses needing pure office space without an industrial-use component, since B1 zoning restricts the proportion of ancillary office area permitted. Prospective occupiers with an unconventional use case should verify permitted-use compliance with URA before signing a lease or completing a purchase.

This article is prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal or investment advice. Figures, ranges and estimates presented, including those marked with “≈”, are reasoned approximations based on publicly available listings and transaction data at the time of writing and may not reflect current market conditions. Prospective buyers and tenants should conduct independent due diligence and consult qualified professionals, including licensed real estate agents, lawyers and financial advisors, before making any purchase, leasing or investment decision.

© 2026 SG Commercial Property Insights. All rights reserved.

Back to Blog
WhatsApp