Visit for some vivacious value
Make sure you set aside plenty of time to enjoy this huge new bookstore.
POPULAR Bookstore’s latest outlet in Johor Baru pays homage to the life-giving power of books: It’s built around the theme of “vivacious”, a word that means “vibrant and dynamic” and that originated from the Latin word “vivere”, which means “to live”.
“Popular@the Mall in Mid Valley Southkey is the largest bookstore to date,” said Alicia Goh, Popular Book Co (M) Sdn Bhd senior marketing manager, in a press release.
It’s certainly big: almost 2,800sq m (30,000sq ft)! Apart from the size, it’s the design that Goh is proud of, explaining that Popular spared no expense in making the store as vibrant and vivacious as possible.
This included installing sharp, angular wall panels and prismatic lighting (appropriately named “Prisms of Vitality”!) to create a warm and welcoming feel. Popular’s signature red colours are contrasted yet also blended pleasantly with the wooden hues of panelling on the walls.
But what of the contents of this vivacious space? Well, judging by the variety, we’re quite sure there’s something for everyone looking to bring some vitality into their lives.
One highlight of Popular@the Mall is a large and diverse text and assessment section covering the gamut of levels from pre-primary, primary and secondary to matriculation and tertiary.
It goes without saying that Popular’s usual well-stocked shelves of fiction and nonfiction books in English, Chinese and Malay are present. As is the wide-range of high quality stationery that Popular is well-known for. This includes its famous in-house Urban Write line that offers products tied to popular (and oh-so-cute) Japanese characters such as Rilakkuma and Sumikko Gurashi.
And then there’s the increasingly popular Gadgets and IT section. If it beeps, blinks, blips or vibrates, they probably have it! This section has been drawing increasingly larger crowds at the Bookfest@malaysia event that is organised annually by Popular at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The company wants to share the joy of opening its biggest bookstore in the country with its customers, so until Dec 15 there are discounts and promos galore at Popular@the Mall in Mid Valley Southkey, JB.
First off, of course, are rebates – you can’t have a promotion without any!
There’s a 20% rebate on all books, text and assessments, stationery as well as items from the Cd-rama and Gadgets and IT sections (there are some exceptions, so check with staff if you’re not sure).
We particularly love this one: The “Best 100” selection of English, Chinese and Malay books (fiction, nonfiction, children’s, young adult, self-help and leisure genres) will enjoy an extra 40% rebate.
Similarly, there are selected “Best Scores A to A+” text and assessments for preschool, primary and secondary titles. Purchase three of these titles from the Educational Publishing House (Singapore) and you’ll receive a free sling bag. You can also get a free book if you buy three titles by EPH (Malaysia).
In addition to the 20% rebate mentioned earlier, the Gadgets and IT section has additional offers, such as 200 products picked to feature in the “Best Prices Exploding” promotion.
Also, in the stationery Back to School section, you can save up to 50% with purchase-with-purchase promotions when you spend RM50 and above in a single receipt.
Once you’ve bought what you need (and want!), there are additional rewards: A minimum receipt of RM50 allows you to buy an Onpro 10,000mah power bank for RM74.90 (usual price RM149.90); a minimum RM100 receipt gets you a 350ml Thermocafe insulated stainless steel tumbler for RM35 (usual price RM108).
And there’s more, so much more. Too many rewards, rebates and promos to mention here – you’ll just have to get to the store to check them out.
And when you head there, make sure to bring some young ’uns along because there is a range of activities planned just for them. There’s adventure to be had in the Jude’s Dreamland Quest event, which comprises storytelling, hidden pictures and writing activities (Dec 14, 2pm to 3.30pm) and artistic flair to be discovered at the Art with Loka Made workshop (Dec 15, 2pm to 4pm). Participation is free but children must be registered at bit. ly/jmvgo19 (places are limited, so get to it now).
For more information about Popular@the Mall, Mid Valley Southkey, Johor Baru, go to popular. com.my or facebook.com/ popularmalaysia.