Many empty shelves seen at Kinokuniya Orchard as it downsizes, bookstore says it’s not closing

Empty shelves seen at Kinokuniya Orchard as books are being relocated, it says

Lately, swathes of empty shelves have been seen at Kinokuniya’s flagship store in Ngee Ann City, scaring book lovers into thinking the store might be closing down.

However, the bookstore has said it’s not going away, with The Straits Times (ST) reporting that it’s merely downsizing.

Netizen’s ‘heart dropped’ to see many empty shelves at Kinokuniya Orchard

In a TikTok video posted on 15 Feb, a user said her “heart dropped” as she shared images of ominously empty shelves in Kinokuniya Orchard.

Captioned “why did this feel like the end of the world”, the clip showed entire shelves cleared from top to bottom, including the literature section.

Other sections that had vanishing books were science fiction, fantasy, religion and sociology.

Empty shelves due to ‘shifting & relocating’ of books, says Kinokuniya Orchard

In an earlier TikTok video on 22 Jan, Books Kinokuniya acknowledged that its shelves were “looking a little empty”.

It explained that its books were not gone but just moved to new locations.

The store was doing some “shifting and relocating”, it said, advising customers to seek help from staff to find their books.

In response to a customer who said she was “stressed out”, the store said it was “not going anywhere”.

Kinokuniya Orchard  downsizing, space to be partly taken up by café

However, Kinokuniya Orchard is downsizing, landlord Toshin Development told ST.

Part of the space will converted into a cafe, which will open in the first half of this year, it said.

Books Kinokuniya told ST that its Singapore main store “continues to evolve” while offering an extensive collection of titles, but adding:

Challenges are ever present for book retailers.

Kinokuniya Orchard had 42,000 sq ft of space in 1999

The Kinokuniya main store in Orchard enjoyed 42,000 sq ft of space when it opened in 1999.

But it moved from the third floor to the fourth floor in 2013, cutting 25% of its space and restoring 5,000 sq ft in 2016.

The store now spans 38,000 sq ft, according to its website — though that will not be the case for much longer.

Also read: Times Bookstores closing last outlet in Jelita on 22 Sept, pens farewell tale to S’poreans

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Featured image adapted from @kinokuniya_singapore on TikTok and @candidcuisine on TikTok.