MPH Bookstores chain is closing down multiple outlets across Malaysia

MPH Bookstores has a long and storied history in Malaysia. What started out as a missionary printing press was later renamed Methodist Publishing House in 1906, a title which the company still carries today.

After the business changed ownership several times, it was acquired by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar in 2000 to become a Malaysian-owned company. By 2016, the 110-year-old company had established over 35 stores nationwide, making it one of the leading book retailers in Malaysia.

Since many of us have fond memories buying books from our neighbourhood MPH store, it came as a shock to see many of their outlets closing recently.

On June 1, a Facebook user posted that nine MPH outlets were in the midst of closing and shared photos of the outlets with half-empty shelves and books packed in boxes, together with clearance sales signs.

The post went viral with many users expressing sadness to find out that their beloved bookstores were closing down.

Among the outlets that have already shut down:

• MPH Amanjaya, Kedah
• MPH Kinta City, Perak
• MPH Sunway Geo, Selangor
• MPH SACC Mall, Selangor
• MPH Subang Parade, Selangor
• MPH MyTOWN, Kuala Lumpur
• MPH Mydin MITC, Melaka
• MPH JB City Square, Johor
• MPH Taman Universiti, Johor

On Twitter, people voiced their concerns about the widespread closures. 

The reason behind stores closure

After the initial silence from the company, MPH Group Sdn Bhd issued a statement to SAYS over why its outlets are shuttering. 

In the statement, MPH Group explained that they are pursuing a new venture and are transforming their traditional brick-and-mortar business model into an "e-commerce cum digitalised ecosystem".

Hence, the company is channelling its resources to scale up their e-commerce and digital business division, and part of the new approach was to consolidate all of its non-performing retail outlets. This plan was already in the works last year but accelerated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bookstore's website, MPHOnline.com, saw a significant spike in sales as a result of changing consumer behaviour during the Movement Control Order (MCO), according to SAYS.

Book lovers can rest assured that not all MPH outlets will be shut down. The company plans to maintain stores that are profitable in key locations, while their online stores are in the midst of upgrading and will relaunch in the fourth quarter of 2020.

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This new approach taken by the bookstore, both offline and online, will provide a more seamless shopping experience to the customers, said MPH Group chief executive officer Donald Kee.

"We want to be able to connect with our customers through multiple touchpoints, be it online or offline by adopting an omnichannel approach," he said.

melinamoey@asiaone.com