BooksActually Appears to Have Closed Down Quietly & Ghosted Everyone

By
George Yang
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Last Updated on 2023-01-16 , 6:30 pm

Books actually still might not be gone in the near future, but BooksActually might be gone.

Since November 2022, after a massive book sale, the company has gone quiet on all their social media platforms and hasn’t responded to media enquiries.

Books were seen outside its physical store, and a sign back then said that it was closed for “reinstatement work”.

But then, 2023 came, and this happened:

Image: Google

Yes, the red “Permanently closed” by Google has confirmed its closure.

BooksActually Appears to Have Closed Down Quietly & Ghosted Everyone

Lest you didn’t know, while people can suggest the opening hours and business information on Google, only the business owner (who manages the account) can change them.

Usually, Google would verify that you’re the business owner by sending you a physical code to your business address, so you can bet it’s likely to be real.

Also, Google would review any changes, so people cannot anyhowly change.

Now, if you’re someone who doesn’t believe Google, then this should convince you:

Image: Google Review

People who visited the business saw that the place is for rent.

And the place is, indeed, listed for rent at $12,000 a month:

Image: Propertyguru

Only time will tell if the BooksActually is actually gone, or it’s actually being transferred to a new owner to a new location.

The Writing is on the Wall

You won’t be surprised if you’ve followed us on Telegram or Instagram, because our annoying blue cat has spoken about this before:

 

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A post shared by Goody Feed (@goody.feed)

Late last year, contractors speaking to The Straits Times said that the so-called “reinstatement work” had been in progress for three weeks. This included clearing out inventory in the store, leading to books being stacked with other trash like furniture near the shop.

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The contractors also revealed that BooksActually’s staff had postponed meetings with them several times.

On the online front, BooksActually’s website has been down since November, right after their huge sales offering 35 to 44% off all purchases.

Their social media has also been inactive since 17 November.

Prior to that, their social media platforms have been extremely active, with posts almost every few hours—kind of like Ho Ching’s Facebook account.

Some may think that this means the store is finally dealing with the transfer of ownership that was promised by its owner, Kenny Leck, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

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Its business profile still shows that Leck is the director of the company, and still holds half the shares of the company—which is similar to what it was in 2021 when he made the promise to transfer the ownership to his employees.

So, what promise?

A Recap of the BooksActually Saga

Back in October 2021, Leck was embroiled in a huge scandal that tainted his name in the Singaporean literature community.

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He was accused of only hiring girls to work at his bookstore and harassing them. He was also accused of making his employees work long hours without breaks, and not paying his employees on time.

His ex-wife Renee Ting also spoke out, saying that when they were dating and married, she worked and lived in the store, had no days off, and received no pay.

Of course, Leck denied all allegations. In an attempt to save his image, he said that he would transfer ownership of BooksActually to his five employees.

The Facebook post of him announcing that he would transfer the ownership of BookActually has either been deleted or set to private.

This saga is also one of the top sagas in 2021 based on our data. You can watch this video to know more:

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Featured Image: Google & Propertyguru

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George Yang
Email: [email protected]