Eslite plans to open four new bookstores next year

Eslite Spectrum Corp, which runs bookstores, restaurants, hotels and commercial centres in Taiwan, aims to open four more bookstores next year.

Launched in 2005, the company is 51 per cent owned by Eslite Corp, one of the largest retail bookstore chains in Taiwan.

In the second quarter of next year, the company will unveil its first bookstore in Hualien county, says Eslite Spectrum VP Lin Wan-ju. This will be followed by a store in Taipei’s Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in the third quarter, and another in Kaohsiung in the fourth quarter.

Lin says the company also plans an outlet in Taichung by the end of next year.

While online bookstores have been gaining popularity, Lin says an Eslite survey has shown that nearly 60 per cent of readers in Taiwan still visit physical bookstores every month.

Eslite will also use big-data analytics to understand consumer behaviour and provide better services, she says.

The company says it has 44 bookstores in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Suzhou, with customer traffic of nearly 200 million people last year.

Bookstores and commercial centres contribute nearly 78 per cent of the company’s total sales, while restaurants and hotels account for 18 and 4 per cent respectively.