A familiar sight in Bishan will be gone soon. The newsstand Newspoint, located next to the Junction 8 mall, will permanently close on Mar 31 after 30 years in operation.
Its owner, Wang Yaojiang, said the stall was originally set to close in August 2024, but he had reached out to Bishan-Toa Payoh MP Chong Kee Hiong to postpone its closure.
“I am most reluctant to part with the old customers who come to buy newspapers every day. Many of them have been my friends for many years,” the 61-year-old told Chinese news outlet Lianhe Zaobao.
Last year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority had announced plans to develop new offices and work spaces on the empty land around Bishan’s bus interchange and Junction 8.
According to a Junction 8 spokesperson, Newspoint’s lease will expire at the end of the month and the stand will no longer be available for rent after that. They will be working closely with Wang until the newsstand’s last day of operation for a smooth transition.
Wang had taken over the stall from a friend in 2011 and kept it open from opening from 6am to 11pm, sometimes stretching until midnight. He also paid his employees extra when they worked over Chinese New Year to keep the store open.
According to him, they could sell 5,000 copies of newspapers in a day at its peak.
“When the sales of paper publications declined, I started selling drinks and snacks to keep going. I wanted to do it until I could no longer do it,” said Wang, who said he will deliver newspapers after Newspoint closes.
Last year, iconic newsstand Thambi Magazine Store at Holland Village closed after more than 80 years in business.
In the heyday of print magazines, it featured over 7,000 titles, said owner Periathambi Senthilmurugan. He had decided to call it quits mainly because he was told to reduce the size of his display area by half, which he was reluctant to do.
