Putting the Fun into Reading: A chat with Andrew Yap, Managing Director and Yujeen Chua, Technical & Development Advisor of BookXcess Sdn Bhd

The Starling Mall, Damansara Utama

Armed with the passion and pure intention of cultivating the reading culture among Malaysians, Andrew Yap, Managing Director, and Yujeen Chua, Technical & Development Advisor of BookXcess Sdn Bhd, have taken the initiative to understand the minds and behaviours of modern consumers to create a bookstore concept that will convert non-readers into readers. The team behind BookXcess is also the organiser of the much celebrated and anticipated book fair in the region, known as Big Bad Wolf.

Andrew Yap and Yujeen Chua

BookXcess opened its doors to voracious readers across Malaysia for the first time in 2006, with its first outlet located at Amcorp Mall in the heart of Petaling Jaya. The bookstore chain has since grown exponentially, especially in 2015 and 2016, as it currently boasts of six outlets within the Klang Valley, in places like Fahrenheit 88 and Starling Mall, with another bookstore scheduled to open by March this year at Tamarin Square, Cyberjaya, which will become the “largest bookstore in Malaysia” upon completion. It will be a 24-hour bookstore.

The Starling Mall, Damansara Utama

In terms of its design, the Starling Mall outlet is given a functional design that promotes stealth, fluidity and flexibility. Anchored by a long and connected, built-in display bookshelf cabinet that acts as the spine of the outlet, the interior is furnished mainly with simple materials that are put together using value engineering to minimise costs and wastages. In this “green” space, patrons could feel at ease as they browse through the displays, resulting in a cosy and comfortable environment.

For more information, please visit BookXcess.