MPH To Return With Store At SingPost Centre Selling Books & Lifestyle Items Like Snacks & Drinks

The rise of ebooks has meant that physical books are no longer quite as popular. I mean, most of us know at least one person who owns a Kindle.

But when all that is said and done, can physical books truly be replaced?

Can we really say goodbye to the smell of well-loved books or the physical sensation of turning actual pages?

MPH says no.

MPH Bookstores Makes A Comeback At SingPost Centre

We thought we’d seen the last of MPH two months ago when its last outlet in Singapore closed its doors.

MPH: You ain’t seen nothing yet.

But nope, MPH is reopening a new store at SingPost Centre in Paya Lebar. The prospective opening will be in November.

It won’t be just your regular bookstore most of us are familiar with, though. This time, MPH is opening a new 1,900 sq ft concept store.

Simply put, besides books, the store will be stocked with a variety of other items such as stationery, gifts, snacks and beverages.

Pretty nifty.

Pretty…POPULAR.

MPH Closed Its Previous Outlets 

Book lovers and MPH supporters cried out in anguish when MPH announced the closure of its outlets at Raffles City on 28 July and Parkway Parade on 1 September.

The reason? High rental costs.

And no, MPH wasn’t the only bookstore affected. Kinokuniya at Liang Court closed in April, POPULAR closed at Thomson Plaza and Times closed at Centrepoint.

So yeah, bookstores have certainly been hit hard.

But MPH has a plan: The group chief executive of MPH told The Straits Times that they “still believe in the retailing of books” as their “passion in curating the best selection for our customers is still intact.”

They also explained that they are “moving forward to establish new concepts by adopting new retail technologies.”

55% Of Store Will Be Books & Magazines

When MPH finally opens at SingPost Centre, you can expect to only find not 40%, not 50%, but 55% of it filled with books and magazines.

The rest will be made of lifestyle products, snacks, beverages and services.

And good news: it’s just the first of a series of stores set to open. However, the location of these other stores has yet to be revealed.

Hopefully, MPH’s new concept store will increase its survivability in Singapore. After all, nothing can truly beat the experience of visiting a physical bookstore.