Japan Home

Japan Home, a retail chain store offering affordable homeware, is reportedly closing or transforming several of its stores in Singapore into Valu$ shops. According to the Business Times, between June and July 2026, Japan Home announced closing-down sales for five outlets, and when visited on August 18, three had already shuttered, while several others were closed for stocktaking.

Background

Japan Home is a household retail chain that was brought to Singapore in 1999 by co-founders Ngai Lai Ha and Peter Lau Pak Fai. It aimed to source affordable housewares and sell them at accessible prices. The company has over 380 branches globally, including locations in Macau, Cambodia, Eastern Malaysia, and Australia.

At Japan Home's Bedok Mall outlet, which remained open, shelves had already been stocked with Valu$ products alongside its own. At the brand's Waterway Point outlet, staff were spotted wearing Valu$ T-shirts. Staff at Japan Home outlets described the situation as a change of management, with some saying Japan Home had been sold to Valu$ entirely.

Financial Performance

Japan Home Singapore's profits had been declining for three consecutive years before 2024. By the financial year ended April 30, 2024, revenue had dipped to S$51.7 million from S$53.7 million the previous year. Then, it tipped from declining profits into actual losses. For the financial year ended April 30, 2025, losses after tax from continuing operations almost tripled to S$2.3 million, from S$858,596 the year before.

Impact on Customers

For Japan Home customers, the most immediate impact is the end of its loyalty rewards scheme. Its website showed that its JFUN & Gold Membership Programme has been terminated with effect from July 21, 2026, with no new registrations or renewals accepted. Existing members were given until August 18 to redeem their J-Fun points, J Cash Rebates, and loyalty rewards, after which unused points and rebates expired.

The Vulcan Post reports that Japan Home's online e-shop has also been taken down for maintenance, removing the digital purchasing option for customers who had been using it. The various states of Japan Home's outlets all over the island have not been updated on its website. A Valu$ store manager told the Business Times that Valu$ is not replacing Japan Home, though the evidence on the ground appears to tell a more complicated story.