Not ‘The End’ For Singapore Bookstores

Last year, Borders (above) closed down and Page One announced its closure here. But smaller bookstores say the impact of online competition has been smaller on them, and they try different ways to keep customers coming back. — ST FILE PHOTO
By
Feng Zengkun
and
Kezia Toh

Visitors to bookstore chain MPH will find an unusual product on its shelves next week – an electronic book reader.

The company plans to start stocking the iRiver eReader, and will offer an initial 280,000 electronic book titles, with more than 200 of them for free.

The move is the bookstore’s latest bid to boost sales in tougher times. Book retailers told The Sunday Times that online rivals and rising rents are slashing their profits, even as shoppers here spend more money on books, newspapers and stationery.

Between 2007 and 2009, spending on these three product lines increased from $656 million to $765 million, according to latest figures from the Department of Statistics. The receipts were tallied from brick-and-mortar stores, including news vendors, and their online portals.

Straits Times