5 Japan Home stores in S'pore shutter, staff say other stores to be converted to Valu$: BT

Home goods chain Japan Home has closed some of its outlets since June, but may reopen some through joint management with Value Dollar (Valu$), which operates on a dollar-store concept.

The Business Times (BT) reported that staff at Japan Home told them that the current situation resulted from a "change of management".

BT noted that some workers said they believed Japan Home had been "sold to Valu$ entirely".

According to Japan Home's Facebook page, five outlets at Hougang Mall, Century Square, Northpoint City, Harbourfront Centre and Buangkok Square had closing-down sales announced from June to July.

More stores likely to be converted

On Aug. 18, BT visited nine Japan Home stores and found three shuttered and six closed for "stocktaking".

The three closed were the outlets at Century Square at Tampines Central, Waterway Point and People's Park Centre.

BT added that there were significant Valu$ stocks in some stores, and Valu$ staff were seen clearing shelves at the Waterway Point outlet.

The staff there said that they were instructed to help with the store's closure.

At the Bedok Mall outlet, staff told BT that the companies were jointly owned, and shelves were stocked with Valu$ goods.

Similarly, staff at the Westgate outlet said they had been receiving Valu$ products to be stocked at the store since Aug. 12.

Japan Home workers told BT that the outlets operated jointly with Valu$ include Bedok and Woodlands, with more stores likely to be converted soon.

Parent companies

BT reported that according to Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) records, DD Private Ltd — which was founded by fast-moving consumer goods provider Radha Exports in 2005 — operates Valu$.

ACRA filings also show that Singapore-registered Radha Japan — which also owns ACE Fresh and hardware store Mr Fix — has a shareholding of about 30 per cent in Japan Home.

Japan Home Centre (Management) Ltd owns the remaining share, and its co-founders Ngai Lai Ha and Peter Lau Pak Fai are listed as directors of the Singapore-registered Japan Home Retail Pte Ltd.

Mothership had previously reached out to Japan Home but did not receive a reply.

Losses

The firm was first founded in Hong Kong in 1991 before expanding to Singapore in 1999 with three outlets in Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio and Bugis Village.

According to Japan Home's website, which was updated in 2026, the brand currently has 34 outlets.

BT reported that the private company's losses after tax had more than doubled to S$2.3 million for its financial year ending Apr. 30, 2025, from a S$858,596 loss a year prior.

For the year ending Apr. 30, 2024, revenue fell from S$53.7 million to S$51.7 million and prior to 2024, profits had declined for three years.