After 15 years, the MPH Bookstore in 1 Utama Shopping Centre has closed its doors for good.
The once vibrant browsing heaven for bookworms is now boarded up with a goodbye message, quoted on says.com, displayed on its storefront:
The sign reads:
"It is with a heavy heart that MPH 1 Utama bids you all GOODBYE.
THANK YOU for your continuous and loyal support, and for allowing us to be of service to you for these past 15 years.
We hope to have your continued patronage and to continue to assist you at our newly-revamped online site."
The closure of the 1 Utama outlet leaves the chain with less than 30 outlets in operation across Malaysia. Brick and mortar bookstores have faced competition from online options available to book lovers, like ebooks and online bookstores
MPH’s origins go back to the year 1815, when William Milne, a young missionary, set up a printing press in Malacca.
The company has survived two world wars and witnessed the independence of both Malaysia and Singapore from the British in 1957 and 1965.
Around 2002, MPH Bookstores was bought over by Malaysian businessman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary, becoming a wholly Malaysian-owned company.
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