Bookstores in Malaysia reinventing themselves with lifestyle offerings

WHEN Singapore-based Times Bookstores shut its last physical outlet in Malaysia this May, it marked the end of another brand name in the industry as more bookstores have in recent years either gone out of business completely, or moved their operations fully online.

Times Bookstores - which at one point had at least 5 stores in Malaysia’s Klang Valley - is among those that now only sells its books and other offerings on its online platform. Over the years, several major retailers such as Borders and MPH have also scaled back on their operations.

Between 2018 and June this year, a total of 97 bookstores have shuttered in Malaysia, according to data from the Malaysian Booksellers Association (MBA), which has more than 100 members operating around 2,000 bookstores across the country.