A number of companies have expressed interest in bidding to build the 15-story Taipei International IT Fashion Center (台北資訊園區), a key part of city government’s vision to rival popular electronics retail district Akiba in Tokyo.
The Chinese-language Economic Daily News said the project has attracted a number of bidders, including technology companies Clevo Business Group (藍天企業集團), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), insurance firms Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽), Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽), hotel operator Formosa International Hotels Corp (晶華國際酒店) and the Eslite (誠品) bookstore chain. These firms were expected to submit their tender plans for the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project before today’s deadline.
Two of the strongest contenders are said to be Clevo and Hon Hai, the paper said.
Clevo owns Buynow (百腦匯), a highly successful retail chain in China that sells information technology and communications devices, while Hon Hai, the world’s largest electronics parts manufacturer, owns Cybermart (賽博數碼廣場), a domestic rival to Buynow.
The Taipei International IT Fashion Center will be located at the intersection of Civic Boulevard Sec 3 and Jinshan N Road, adjacent to the Kuanghua Digital Plaza (光華數位新天地).
The 15-story complex will include a business hotel, eateries, office lots, a digital entertainment center, a showroom and a theatre. It will also have a tax refund counter and a mobile device repair center, as well as retailers of games consoles, home appliances and other electronic gadgets.
The winning tender — to be announced in May — is expected to invest about NT$2.4 billion (US$72.7 million) in construction and be awarded the right to operate the complex for 50 years.
The city government said the complex would create as many as 936 jobs after it opens to the public, as early as 2013.
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