Unless you’re an avid peruser of BookTok or a student rummaging through their bag for silent reading period material, chances are, you haven’t riffled through the pages of a good read in a long time. Perhaps a sign of this declining demand for physical copies of books, the last Times Bookstores outlet in Singapore is slated to shutter this Sunday, 22nd September 2024.
Read on to find out more about this iconic chain of bookstores, and the massive moving-out sale it has in store for visitors to its lone outlet on the Little Red Dot.
Image credit: Times bookstores via Facebook
Times Bookstores is a book retailer owned by Fraser and Nave, a Thai-Singaporean F&B and publishing and printing industries conglomerate. It first made its way into Singaporean soil over 4 decades ago, back in 1978.
What walking into the Times Bookstores in Waterway Point in 2016 would have looked like.
Image credit: Takuya Yamada via Google Maps
Throughout the years, multiple Times Bookstores popped up islandwide, with the biggest one being located in The Centrepoint mall, spanning over 8,000sqft and over 3 floors. Those in the heartlands could also visit outlets like those housed in Tampines One, and Punggol’s Waterway Point.
Times Bookstores primarily stocked English language books, with titles that encompassed a wide range of genres, catering to readers of all ages. Alongside books, they also sold stationery so it wasn’t uncommon to spot students hanging out here after classes to stock up on school supplies.
Image credit: Google Maps
46 years on, it looks like time’s up for Times Bookstores, as its last remaining outlet in Jelita Shopping Centre will be closing its doors later this week. In case you’re wondering where Jelita Shopping Centre is, it’s situated along Holland Road near Holland Village, and is mostly known for its anchor tenant Cold Storage on level 1.
The Times Bookstores outlet in Jelita Shopping Centre.
Image credit: Benson Kong 龚耀鸿 via Google Maps
You’ll find Times Bookstores on the second level, and ahead of its closure this Sunday, the bookstore will be holding a huge moving-out sale. From now till 22nd September 2024, head down to Jelita Shopping Centre’s Times Bookstores to pick up books and stationery for up to 80% off.
Even if you’re not in dire need of writing instruments or would prefer to do your reading on a handy Kindle, it’s your last chance to walk down this storied book retailer’s aisles, at least in Singapore.
The bookstore’s physical presence in Malaysia has petered out since 2022, but one still stands in Macau, Hong Kong, of all places. It’s located in The Venetian Macao, a luxury hotel in the Las Vegas of the East.
It’s always a little saddening to wave goodbye to long-standing chains in Singapore, as they have left an indelible mark on lives in one way or another. Although Times Bookstores has called it quits, here’s to hoping that other retailers like Kinokuniya can remain a mainstay for bibliophiles in the years to come.
For other nostalgia-inducing reads, Oriental Emporium and Yaohan Singapore were the Don Don Donki’s of yesteryear, while these defunct Singapore malls & department stores used to be our parents’ stomping grounds back in their heydays.
Cover image adapted from: Times bookstores via Facebook
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