Books Kinokuniya to open new outlet at Raffles City in August
A Blue Room in the heart of Books Kinokuniya's new outlet will invite quiet contemplation. PHOTO: KAY NGEE TAN ARCHITECTS
An early artist's impression of Books Kinokuniya's new outlet at Raffles City. PHOTO: KAY NGEE TAN ARCHITECTS
Books Kinokuniya to open new outlet at Raffles City in August
SINGAPORE – Books Kinokuniya will open a new outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre in August.
In a Facebook post on April 21, the bookstore chain announced the new store, which will span 3,433 sq ft on the third floor of the mall.
Mr Tan Kay Ngee, 68, award-winning principal architect of Kay Ngee Tan Architects, who designed the first Books Kinokuniya's flagship store at Ngee Ann City in 1999, told The Straits Times: 'The new Kinokuniya store is conceived as a quiet discovery – designed not to shout, but to invite.'
It will feature a Blue Room at the heart of the shop. 'It is a serene space dedicated to literature which evokes a quieter, more contemplative mood for immersive reading experiences.'
The space will reuse the iconic blue shelves from the flagship store, which is currently being reorganised.
In February, it was announced that the bookshop's 38,000 sq ft space at Ngee Ann City would be reduced. A spokesperson for Books Kinokuniya said that despite the outlet's smaller footprint, 'our range of titles remains intact and we intend to expand and showcase a more varied merchandise mix'.
The main entrance of the flagship store reopened on April 7, although the rest of the store is still undergoing 'significant changes'.
The spokesperson also confirmed that there would be no staff layoffs or manpower changes at the Takashimaya outlet.
The bookshop chain closed its outlets at Jem mall in Jurong in May 2022 and at Liang Court mall in Clarke Quay in April 2019. The closures reflect a shrinking books retail scene in recent years as various brands such as Times and Epigram Books closed physical outlets, squeezed by high rentals and thin profits.
When asked about Books Kinokuniya's future plans in Singapore, the spokesperson said: 'We would consider opening a new store if the right venue and price come together.'
Additional reporting by Clement Yong and Ong Sor Fern
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
15 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US Treasury's Bessent emerges as possible contender to succeed Fed's Powell, Bloomberg reports
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading US President Donald Trump's sweeping global trade overhaul. PHOTO: AFP US Treasury's Bessent emerges as possible contender to succeed Fed's Powell, Bloomberg reports WASHINGTON - US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emerged as a possible candidate to succeed Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, Bloomberg News reported on June 10, citing people familiar with the matter. Mr Bessent joins a small list of Fed chair candidates that has included Mr Kevin Warsh, a former Fed official whom Mr Trump previously interviewed for Treasury secretary, Bloomberg added. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr Trump said on June 6 he would name a successor to Mr Powell very soon. Bloomberg, citing two unidentified people familiar with the matter, reported that formal interviews for the job have not begun. Mr Bessent is leading Mr Trump's sweeping global trade overhaul and has a hand in pushing for changes to taxes and regulation. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
15 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Abu Dhabi expects more rapid growth for its financial centre
LONDON - The rush of financial firms setting up in Abu Dhabi to tap the oil-rich emirate's wealth funds and Middle East markets will continue at pace, the official in charge of expanding its financial hub has predicted. Abu Dhabi, which holds 90% of UAE's oil reserves, has accelerated efforts to diversify its economy, leaning on its vast sovereign funds that together manage almost $2 trillion of capital. Abu Dhabi Global Markets still lags Dubai, but the number of firms registered in the centre rose by 32% last year, and the amount of assets managed by firms there grew 245%, as the likes of BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, AXA, PGIM and hedge fund Marshall Wace all set up or registered funds there. Earlier on Tuesday, Harrison Street, a U.S. firm focused on alternative real estate assets with about $56 billion in assets under management, said it was opening an office in Abu Dhabi. The centre reported last week that new operating licences increased 67% in the first quarter of this year taking the total number of firms there past 2,380. "We still have very strong growth," ADGM's Chief Market Development Officer, Arvind Ramamurthy said, noting that the pipeline of new firms looked strong for the rest of the year, but refrained from giving a forecast for assets growth. "Will it be 245% again this year? I wish. Let's see," he said in an interview late on Monday. Firms from Japan, India and China are also setting up in growing numbers - asset managers and financial institutions but also crypto and artificial intelligence firms, Ramamurthy said providing any details. With cryptocurrency regulations in place since 2018, Abu Dhabi has become a major centre for such investment, with sector heavyweights such as Circle and Coinbase represented there, while Abu Dhabi-backed investment group MGX has recently invested $2 billion worth of crypto tokens - issued by U.S. President Donald Trump's World Liberty Financial venture - in the world's biggest crypto exchange, Binance. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
China's vice-president visits Spain as mutual courtship blossoms
MADRID - China's Vice-President Han Zheng arrived in Spain on June 10 for a four-day trip during which he will meet with King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a further sign of increasingly close economic and political ties. Mr Han's visit is taking place two months after Mr Sanchez visited Beijing for the third time in as many years. There, he sought to woo China's President Xi Jinping as global trade reels from US President Donald Trump's tariffs policy. The Socialist premier has been vying to position Madrid as an interlocutor between China and the European Union, as well as to attract more Chinese investment in advanced technology such as batteries, electric vehicles and hydrogen. In 2024, auto maker Stellantis and Chinese battery maker CATL announced plans to build one of Europe's largest EV battery factories in Spain. However, not all is idyllic in Spain's relations with China. Beijing's anti-dumping inquiry into EU pork launched in 2024 in retaliation for Brussels' tariffs on Chinese EVs hit Spain, a top exporter, hard. Mr Sanchez's last visit to China, however, clinched expanded access for Spanish exports of pork stomach - a product widely consumed in China but not previously authorised. Mr Han will meet Mr Sanchez on the morning of June 11 in Madrid, Mr Sanchez's office said, while King Felipe will receive the Chinese official on June 12, according to the royal household's agenda. The Spanish monarch is also scheduled to visit China later this year to commemorate the signing of a strategic partnership 20 years ago. After his meetings with Mr Sanchez and Spain's King, Mr Han is set to travel to Seville to meet Andalusia's regional leader, Mr Juan Manuel Moreno, who in 2024 secured over €2.5 billion (S$3.6 billion) of Chinese investments in the southern Spanish region. According to projections by tourism lobby Turespana, the number of visitors to Spain from China is expected to surge by 36 per cent this summer compared to 2024, making Spain the European destination with the biggest growth in tourists from the Asian nation. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.