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MPH Group Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian conglomerate that specialises in book retailing and online retailing, as well as book printing, publishing, and distribution, as well as library services in Malaysia and Singapore. MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd, based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, is one of Malaysia's largest bookstore chains after Popular.

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Robert Morrison was the first Protestant missionary to China, sent by the London Missionary Society in 1807. With the assistance of a young missionary named William Milne, he translated the New and Old Testaments into Chinese. Milne decided to open a printing press in Malacca in 1815 after spending two years in Macau. Among his early accomplishments were the founding of the Malacca Anglo-Chinese College and the printing of the first Chinese version of the Old Testament.
Captain W.G. Shellabear arrived in Singapore in 1890 to develop the Amelia Bishop Press, a printing press. The aim of the publishing venture was to print Christian literature, but it gradually expanded to include the setting and printing of secular works.
In 1893, the Amelia Bishop Press relocated to Raffles Place and renamed itself the American Mission Press. The Mission Press Book Room was founded to sell Mission Press publications, school books, and other supplies to the Mission's schools.

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Shellabear is credited with founding the Malaya Publishing House, whose foresight in introducing modern printing techniques to Singapore aided the development of the Southeast Asian publishing industry. He is remembered by Methodist Christians as one of the pioneers and early leaders of Methodism in Malaya, as well as a Malay translator of the Bible and other religious texts.
The business was taken over by Singaporean entrepreneur Simon Cheong in 1999 and changed its name to MPH Ltd in March 2000.
The MPH brand, as well as its book retail and distribution arms, MPH Bookstores and MPH Distributors, were purchased by Jalinan Inspirasi Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian business tycoon, in 2002. MPH Group (M) Sdn Bhd was the company's new name later on.
MPH Group, which owns MPH Bookstores (Malaysia and Singapore), MPH Distributors (Malaysia and Singapore), MPH Group Publishing (Malaysia), and MPH Library Services, is the parent company today (Singapore).

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ABOUT MPH From a humble beginning as a small bookshop selling general titles, MPH Bookstores has since progressed and grown to become one the leading bookstore chains in Malaysia, with a total of 17 stores nationwide.

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The Reason why MPH Bookstore closed down multiple stores in Malaysia

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The Reason why MPH Bookstore closed down multiple stores in Malaysia

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MPH Group said in a statement to SAYS that it is planning a new venture and transforming its brick-and-mortar business model into a "e-commerce cum digitalized ecosystem."
The century-old company said it is focusing all of its efforts on growing its e-commerce and digital business segment, including consolidating all of its underperforming retail locations.
Despite this, they continue to keep profitable stores in strategic locations as valuable touchpoints for their loyal customers.

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UPDATE: MPH Group is closing certain stores because it is moving towards digitalising its business. Read the full story here.
It seems that several MPH Bookstore outlets in Malaysia are closing down their businesses

Despite no official announcement from the company, netizens from across the country have taken to social media to share that their neighbourhood outlets were closing.

Over the last few days, some said they saw staff emptying shelves and packing books in boxes, while some stores were having moving out clearance sales.

MPH Kinta City Ipoh will be permanently closed I had so much memories going there since I was a kid. I would always visit the shop everytime I go to KCH. This is a very sad news not just for me but to ipohite as well. pic.twitter.com/hkocXat6Km
- روشاؤيق روسلي (@roshafiqlee) May 26, 2020

A viral post by Facebook user Zatika Izati Puade listed nine MPH outlets that have already or are in the midst of closing:
- 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

She personally visited the MyTOWN branch yesterday, 1 June, and shared the following pictures.

"A lot of the shelves were already empty and the books were packed in boxes," she wrote.

SAYS has reached out to MPH to confirm if their outlets are truly closing for business but have yet to receive a reply

The management at the branch at Kinta City in Ipoh did, however, tell SAYS over the phone that five outlets will be closing by this Saturday, 6 June, namely MPH Subang Parade, MPH JB City Square, MPH Taman Universiti, MPH Mydin MITC, and their own outlet.

Malaysians were sad to hear the news that their well-loved outlets were closing

"This is so sad. I like bookstores. When I was a teenager that hung out in malls, I would always wait at bookstores while waiting for my friends to arrive. Kill time while reading books. I always ended up buying one or two comic books," reminisced a Facebook user.

Another said, "MPH AEON Kinta City was the only MPH in Perak that I would visit."

"Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, I haven't gone to Ipoh. I can't confirm if it's closed or not yet. If it has, it's really sad."

This Twitter user said, "I did not expect to feel this sad when I entered MPH earlier and saw their staff packing books into boxes. There was a 'moving out clearance' sign on the shop windows. Is this the end of bookstores?"

Aku tak sangka aku akan sedih bila masuk MPH tadi nampak staf dia tengah packing buku masuk dalam kotak. Dekat tingkap tulis "moving out clearance". Ini pengakhiran kedai buku ke?
- Moreh Terawis (@LutfilLeHadi) May 30, 2020

A popular bookstore chain from Taiwan recently announced its plans to open in Malaysia:

And worry not, check out these other local bookstores and libraries for your bookish needs:

Here are ways you can support local businesses:

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Multiple MPH Bookstore Outlets Are Closing Down This Week

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UPDATE: MPH Group is closing certain stores because it is moving towards digitalising its business. Read the full story here. It seems that several MPH Bookstore outlets in Malaysia are closing down their businesses Despite no official announcement from the company, netizens from across the country have taken to social media to share that their neighbourhood outlets were closing.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated MPH Group's strategy to concentrate on its e-commerce site, which was already in the works last year.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated MPH Group's strategy to concentrate on its e-commerce site, which was already in the works last year.

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As a result of the rapid shift in customer purchasing behaviour during the Movement Control Order, the bookstore's website, MPHOnline.com, saw a substantial rise in revenue (MCO).
MPH Group CEO Donald Kee announced that the company is in the process of updating its online store, which he expects to relaunch in the fourth quarter of 2020.
He claims that the bookstore's latest strategy, both offline and online, would provide consumers with a more seamless shopping experience.
"By taking an omnichannel approach, we want to be able to communicate with our consumers through all touchpoints, whether online or offline," said Kee.

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Aside from that, the organisation intends to launch Southeast Asia's first social interactive e-learning platform.

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Aside from that, the organisation intends to launch Southeast Asia's first social interactive e-learning platform.

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To meet the growing growth of virtual learning, the e-learning platform will deliver a wide range of video-on-demand content and e-books, as well as live classrooms.
The company hopes that the application, which is expected to be released in the second half of the year, will help to link educators and students in a secure environment.
MPH Group also hopes that by implementing these digital transformation strategies, their brand can remain important to all Malaysians.

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The organisation also plans to deploy high-tech vending machines for the convenience of their customers, according to the CEO.

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The organisation also plans to deploy high-tech vending machines for the convenience of their customers, according to the CEO.

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People will be able to position orders online and pick up their books from the company's vending machines, which will be located in strategic locations such as LRT and MRT stations, colleges, and hospitals, in addition to their physical stores.
He said, "[This is] so that we can reach out to consumers outside of our physical stores as well as give instant gratification to those who can't wait for their books to be shipped to their homes or offices."

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Despite the setbacks experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, MPH Group has managed to keep up with today's trend, which is the online platform. They recently launched an official website to enable their customers to buy books online at their leisure.
The remaining stores are open and operating normally according to the MCO's standard operating procedure (SOP).
The website is called MPHOnline.com. MPHOnline.com is a website that serves as a virtual bookstore. It helps you to browse, check, and purchase books, stationery, gifts, toys, and games from the comfort of your own home. Our goal is to provide our customers with a full online experience.

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MPHOnline | Shop Books Online | Where the bookstore comes to you..

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Enjoy additional perks when you shop online at the No. 1 Online Bookstore in Malaysia. Grab our Pre-Order Specials and enjoy Fast and Free Delivery (min spend RM100) when browsing through our wide range of books. Categories: English books, Malay books, Children's books, Educational Toys & Games

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Following increased online traffic due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd has launched an omni-channel shopping solution on its website and Shopee Malaysia to facilitate a hassle-free shopping experience.
Under the current circumstances, MPH Group business operations head Vijayan Nadesan said the book retailer needs to ensure that its customers can enjoy offerings and services at home and have their orders delivered.