Touting its customer-oriented services, a new shopping mall set for a grand opening tomorrow could reinvigorate the Taipei Railway Station neighborhood.
The 20,000 ping (66,100m²), seven-story Qsquare (京站時尚廣場) expects to see NT$5 billion (US$151 million) in receipts in its first year of operation, said Christina Ko (柯愫吟), general manager of Jing-Jan Retail Business Co (京站實業), which runs Qsquare.
It is expected to see NT$500 million in sales in the first two weeks alone, she said.
The new mall is part of a property that also includes luxury housing, a gym, a cinema complex and a five-star hotel poised to open next spring.
NEW IN THE AREA
Qsquare is expected to revive the shopping landscape of the Taipei Railway Station area, where Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store (新光三越) is the only major mall.
With an innovation budget of NT$1 billion, Qsquare is expected to break even in three years — a common time frame for mall operators, said Sunny Liu (劉懿慧), Jing-Jan’s strategy and planning director.
Qsquare is setting its eyes on the 500,000 daily commuters transiting at Taipei Railway Station, who take the MRT, railways and buses, she told reporters during a pre-opening media tour yesterday.
As many as 100,000 commuters take express buses in and out of the Taipei Bus Station (台北轉運站) alone, she said, giving Qsquare an edge as it is located adjacent to the station.
The mall targets shoppers between 18 and 45 years of age and seeks to offer unique services that meet customer needs. For example, it boasts freezer lockers outside of the Jason’s supermarket in the basement so that shoppers can drop off their purchases of frozen food and go for a movie before going home.
Qsquare is also hoping to win women over with a large lingerie section complete with heated floors in the changing rooms to keep shoppers warm while they try on garments.
There are also carts for lingerie shoppers and a larger fitting room to allow groups of shoppers to stay together while they try on garments.
SPORTS
The mall also hopes to attract sports and health enthusiasts with everything from tanning rooms and a skateboard playground to a bicycle parking lot.
Cyclists can hang their vehicles on the wall on the third floor or put foldable bikes into tailored lockers.
A shower room is also available for cyclists.
“Qsquare differentiates itself from rivals by targeting mainly the younger crowds,” said Chiou Jyh-shen (邱志聖), an international business professor at National Chengchi University.
Its strategic location in the bustling Taipei Railway Station neighborhood will help business, he said.
Government figures show that revenues for shopping malls and department stores in Taiwan in the first 10 months of the year inched up nearly 1 percent from last year to NT$182 billion. Sales in October alone grew 10.8 percent year-on-year to NT$27 billion thanks to anniversary promotions.
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