Borders bookstore is re-launching in Singapore and will open its doors during the holiday season. Local book retailer Popular Holdings has purchased the rights to Borders and will be launching a single store in Jurong.
The last of Borders stores closed down in 2011 and many local readers are really excited about their return. Vincent Ng commented “To me, Borders advocated reading as a way of life. Unlike other places, they allowed customers to browse through the books instead of sealing them up, which helped me discover many new authors. Also, I hope Popular will not turn Borders into an assessment-books bookstore.”
Amid rising costs and the growing popularity of internet book retailers in Singapore, a number of stores have closed. Page One shuttered its Vivocity outlet last year. The hope is bringing back an iconic bookstore chain will draw more readers into the stores and hopefully act as a staging ground to consolidate the local physical book industry.
Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.