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First 7-Eleven opens on Green Island

Residents of Green Island can finally enjoy the convenience of shopping for newspapers, milk and fresh bread every day as President Chain Store Corp (統一超商) yesterday unveiled the first 7-Eleven convenience store on the islet.

Before the nation's largest convenience store chain moved into the scenic spot, there were only six mom-and-pop grocery shops to serve the islet's 3,000 residents and the 400,000 tourists who visit per year.

However, high transportation costs and the limited number of freighter runs means that islanders have to pay 20 percent to 30 percent more for daily necessities, and yet still cannot get newspapers and chilled food every day, said Vivien Hsu (徐崇嵐), a public relations official for President Chain, which operates 3,913 stores nationwide.

The opening of the islet's first 24-hour convenience store, took six years of planning, with President Chain having to overcome transportation difficulties and introduce cold-storage facilities to maintain the quality of food, the company said in a press release.

After launching stores in Hualien in 1997, President Chain expanded its turf outside of Taiwan proper in 1999. Now it operates a total of 32 stores on outlying islands and islets, including nine in Kinmen, 21 on Penghu and one in Hsiaoliuchiu (小琉球).

The company expects to have opened up to 4,000 stores by the end of the year.
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