Kinokuniya opens third bookstore in Raffles City after flagship downsizing
The celebratory occasion bucked prevailing trends of bookshop closures amid laments of declining book-buying habits. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the 'hidden literary haven', designed by award-winning architect Tan Kay Ngee, took place weeks before its initial scheduled date of August and immediately welcomed about 30 patrons.
Vice-president of Kinokuniya Keijiro Mori says Singapore may be more digitalised than other countries, but that trends in the United Kingdom and United States returning to the analogue offers hope.
'I'm confident this will come to Singapore,' he says. 'Meanwhile, we have to try to include more non-books items. But we try to keep these still somehow book-related. We don't want to become a general miscellaneous store.'
Totalling 3,433 sq ft, the third-floor space had up till April been leased by tech gadget retailer Challenger. It may be a far cry from Kinokuniya's Ngee Ann City flagship – at about 10 times the size – but news of its opening, when it was announced three months ago, still came as a salve to bibliophiles after worrying scenes of bookshelves in Ngee Ann City being emptied.
Totalling 3,433 sq ft, the third-floor space had up till April been leased by tech gadget retailer Challenger.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
In February, The Straits Times reported that
the 38,000 sq ft store was being downsized after rental negotiations with landlord Toshin Development arrived at the conclusion that the front portion of the bookstore would be taken over by a cafe. Kinokuniya has since assured the public that its range of titles remained intact.
The other Kinokuniya branch of similar size to the Raffles City one opened in Bugis Junction in 2013.
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Kinokuniya Raffles City was 'designed not to shout, but to invite', which architect Tay has attempted with a long central axis leading to a blue-hued Reading Room, an alcove that re-uses some of Kinokuniya's signature shelves transported from Ngee Ann City.
The long central axis of bookshelves dividing the reading room (left) and the main area (right), where merchandise, stationery and more books are, in Kinokuniya's new outlet at Raffles City.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Exclusive stationery is being touted as a key feature, such as cat-themed products from Japanese designer Matsuo Miyuki and the anthropomorphic Pickles the Frog. 'We put the honey in front,' says former Kinokuniya Asia-Pacific senior store and merchandising director Kenny Chan.
Exclusive merchandise such as Pickles the Frog in Kinokuniya's new outlet at Raffles City.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
There are other subtle differentiations from other branches, for instance focusing more on English-language and business-related books to cater to the Central Business District crowd.
Landlord CapitaLand's chief executive officer Ervin Yeo said customer satisfaction surveys have long indicated a demand for Raffles City to have its own bookstore, which would allow for browsing in between appointments while also supplying nearby Fairmont Hotel and Swissotel guests with their holiday reads
There could be 'cross-activations', he says, suggesting books and Chinese milk tea chain Chagee. 'With the right trade mix, we hope that sales for all tenants will improve.'
According to a National Library Board 2024 study, 28 per cent of adults read books and e-books more than once a week. Among these, 75 per cent still prefer physical books, and more people buy physical books from bookstores (54 per cent) than borrow from libraries (51 per cent).
After the outpouring of grief over Kinokuniya's reduction at Ngee Ann City, Mr Yeo urged the public to put their money where their mouth is. 'Rather than bellyaching over their closures and lamenting their disappearance, the best thing we can all do to support bookstores is to visit bookstores and buy books.'
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The agency also assists hawkers financially through schemes such as the Hawkers' Productivity Grant, which provides 80 per cent co-funding for hawkers to buy kitchen automation equipment and digital solutions such as queue management systems. ST has contacted the relevant operators for more information. Timbre Group declined to comment, while FairPrice Group and Fei Siong Social Enterprise did not respond by press time.
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Hawkers say app should be a value-added service by the operator and costs should not be passed on. SINGAPORE – When Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre's management announced it would scrap clauses requiring hawkers to provide free meals for the needy at their own cost, the update was met with relief by hawkers. But many question why they continue to be called upon to provide budget meals and discounts to diners who pay using operator apps. The Pay-it-Forward initiative by Canopy Hawkers Group, which manages the Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC), initially required stallholders to contribute 100 free meals over three years. It was criticised by veteran food critic K.F. Seetoh in an Aug 8 Facebook post that described it as 'forced charity'. 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Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Hawkers say the app was intended for the convenience of customers and should be a value-added service by the operator. 'Its cost should not be passed on to the tenants,' says John, who has to absorb the 10 per cent discount customers get from the Food Canopy app. On top of that, a credit note shows he is charged a 0.8 per cent transaction fee when payment is made via the app. 'Hawker prices are controlled and many have thin margins due to rising costs. This just makes things harder.' Tenants at other SEHCs, run by FairPrice Group Hawker Centre and Timbre Hawkers, have similar obligations. Customers who pay using the app enjoy a 10 per cent discount on meals at One Punggol Hawker Centre and Yishun Park Hawker Centre, according to Timbre Group's website. 'We lose a thousand dollars every month from the Timbre app,' says a 42-year-old who wanted to be known only as Rahman. He sells rojak and prata at One Punggol. However, he concedes that it was something he had agreed to when signing the contract. Mr Yasser Farag, who runs Arabica Kebab stall in the same centre, was also prepared to offer concessions to customers, though the number of discounts caught him by surprise. 'I knew that I had to keep prices low, but I didn't expect so many people to have the app,' says the 58-year-old, who maintains that his experience at the hawker centre has otherwise been smooth. Another hawker, who is in her late 50s, says prevalent usage of the app costs her around a thousand dollars each month. With the price of ingredients and utilities rising, her earnings have been shaved by a fifth. 'I can't afford to raise prices either, because I empathise with customers,' she adds. Echoing the same sentiment is Ms Kumiko Tan, 44, owner of Hakka Leipopo, a chain with outlets in SEHCs, such as Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre and Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, both run by FairPrice Group. 'Times are hard for everyone. We won't change the price of food to account for the discount,' she says. The cost of her dishes remains consistent across all outlets, even the one at the Tanjong Pagar Town Council-run Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre. Roughly 80 per cent of her customers at Anchorvale Village and Punggol Coast pay with the FairPrice Group app, which yields a 10 per cent discount. She adds: 'I don't think many of them know that the discount is paid for by the store owner. They think maybe it's from the Government or the operator.' Discounts offered through FairPrice Group app on display at Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre. ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK But some hawkers, like a 38-year-old man operating a stall at Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre, feel the 10 per cent cut is fair, as the app helps boost business. 'It's a perk that, in a way, attracts customers,' he says. How cheap is too cheap The discount, however, cannot be applied to budget meals, which are low-cost dishes that tenants at SEHCs are obliged to offer – contractually, in the case of Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre's tenants, at least. At hawker centres operated by FairPrice Group, these affordable options are usually priced between $3 and $3.50, according to checks by ST. Adam (not his real name), a hawker who runs a stall at Hawker Centre @ Our Tampines Hub, says that $3.50 is a manageable price point for budget meals. When ST spoke to him in June 2024 , his budget meals were fixed at $2.80. Back then, a spokesperson for operator FairPrice Group confirmed budget meals at that particular hawker centre cost $2.80, but that the company was conducting a review. Since the budget meal price has increased to $3.50, Adam says it is 'much more reasonable'. 'At least now, I can make around 20 to 30 cents in profit for each meal,' he adds. He previously told ST it was 'impossible to make a profit' from $2.80 meals. According to hawkers, few customers opt for budget meals. Portions tend to be smaller and often omit more expensive proteins such as meat. 'I can't make money off it, but maybe only five to 10 people each month buy my budget meals, so still can tahan (endure in Malay),' says a 45-year-old hawker, who wants to be known only as Hasan, at Buangkok Hawker Centre. But Penang Alley's $3.20 budget meals are snapped up by some 50 customers each month. Mrs Eileen Leong, the 57-year-old owner of the Buangkok Hawker Centre stall, says such meals, which consist of mainly eggs and kway teow, are 'unsustainable'. She tried asking her operator, Fei Siong Social Enterprise, to increase the budget meal price to $4 without success. With operation costs spiking 50 per cent and footfall down three-quarters by her estimates, she is seeking a reprieve. 'I'm hoping the Government can help lighten our burden, and we hope to get more grants to sustain this business,' she says. The National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times that in 2023, the median monthly stall rental at SEHCs and non-subsidised stalls at comparable NEA-managed hawker centres were $1,700 and $1,625 respectively. Ancillary costs at SEHCs, such as table-cleaning and centralised dishwashing fees, are comparable with similar NEA-managed hawker centres, it added. The agency also assists hawkers financially through schemes such as the Hawkers' Productivity Grant, which provides 80 per cent co-funding for hawkers to buy kitchen automation equipment and digital solutions such as queue management systems. ST has contacted the relevant operators for more information. Timbre Group declined to comment, while the rest have yet to respond.
