Call it the plot twist of the year. After announcing the upcoming closure of the beloved NBC Stationery & Gifts at Raffles City – much to the despair of devoted fans – Japanese bookstore group Books Kinokuniya has just revealed that it will be opening a brand new outlet, within the very same mall, no less.
Kinokuniya will not be taking over its sister brand NBC’s former space, and will instead be setting up shop at what used to be Challenger on Level 3 of the mall.
Concurrently, Books Kinonkuniya at Takashimaya is downsizing to make space for a café, but the good news is is that some of its book collection, along with its iconic navy blue shelves, will be migrating over to the new outlet at City Hall.
This news offers avid readers a glimmer of hope in the face of a dwindling book scene in Singapore. The island’s very last Times Bookstore at Holland Road closed for good last year, and this was subsequently followed by the closure of Epigram Coffee Bookshop at SAM. While Epigram Books continues to operate online, it has no intention to continue running a physical store.
Hoardings for the new Books Kinokuniya at Raffles City are already up, and it’s slated to welcome bookworms on an unspecified date in August 2025. In the meantime, check out our compilation of the best bookstores in Singapore which includes many smaller, independently run names.
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