End Of A Chapter: Why MPH Bookstores Is Closing Its Last Two Outlets In S'pore

According to reports on Lianhe Zaobao and The New Paper, Malaysian bookstore chain MPH is closing the shutters of its last 2 outlets in Singapore.

The two outlets, located at Raffles City and Parkway Parade, will be closed on the 28th of this month and 1st of September respectively. The bookstore is also said to have begun clearing stock.

There are plans to relocate to a single outlet, but the company declined to named likely locations “because of negotiations”.

MPH cited “unsustainable” high rental costs and “intense competition” from major ecommerce players in Singapore as the reasons for the closure.

The company shared that it is currently restructuring and streamlining resources for new business initiatives, and that it is “confident that bookstores will continue to be relevant”.

MPH, short for ‘Methodist Publishing House’, was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Petaling Jaya, Selangor in Malaysia.

It has 29 outlets in Malaysia and launched ecommerce site MPHOnline in 2000.