Eslite (誠品), one of Taiwan’s biggest and most popular bookstore chains, is looking at extending its operations to Shanghai in the near future.
Lee Chieh-hsiu (李介修), an Eslite general manager in charge of marketing in China, said Shanghai is at the top of the company’s list in its overseas expansion plan, according to a report by Shanghai Morning Post.
“If Eslite enters Shanghai, it would not open just one store in that big city,” Lee was quoted as saying.
Officials from Shanghai’s Pudong District said on April 2 that they were “actively enticing Eslite to come to Pudong.”
It was learned that officials from the Hongkou and Jingan districts in Shanghai have also contacted Eslite about possible investment.
Established by art-loving kitchen design businessman Robert Wu (吳清友) in 1989, Eslite was the first bookstore in Taiwan to open for business around the clock.
Projecting an image as a promoter of art, culture and literature, Eslite has been a major attraction for locals and tourists alike. In recent years, its business has expanded from books to cafes and art gallery operations. It was listed by Time magazine as a must-see for visitors to Taiwan.
It currently operates 38 compound stores around the country and carries about 90 percent of the new books published in Taiwan, putting more than 400 titles on the shelves each week.
Monocle, an international English-language magazine that covers culture and design, has described Eslite as “the most advanced and exceptional store in the world.”
The prospects for its investment in China, however, are not so bright, according to some bookstore operators in Shanghai.
Yan Bofei (嚴博非), chairman of Jifeng Books (季風書園) in Shanghai, said whilr Eslite’s mode of business operationhas succeeded in Taiwan, it may not work in China, given the different business climate and legal environment there.
Yan, who runs eight up-scale bookstores around Shanghai, said Eslite should try to gain a better understanding of the Chinese city before entering the market.
Moreover, he said, brick-and-mortar bookstores in China have seen sales plummet in recent years as a result of Internet sales.
“A great number of bookstores have closed down, which is now the norm,” Yan said.
Jiang Li (江利), a vice president of the Shanghai Book Mall (上海書城), also painted a grim picture for the future for physical bookstores.
She said Eslite was welcome to enter the Shanghai market, but it should bear in mind the possible poor prospects of operating there.
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