Taiwan Land Development Corp (TLDC, 台灣土地開發) is seeking to transform its business model by expanding into the creative industry, as land development is likely to see another tough year, chairman Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生) said yesterday.
“It is time to adopt a new business strategy to meet the needs of an ever-changing society,” said Chiu, whose company in June last year teamed up with Canada-based Cameron Thomson Group to build a studio park in Hualien County, with a view to making it a local version of Hollywood.
It secured a partnership with WPC Media Services five months later to set up a digital data bank to serve media and entertainment companies at more competitive costs.
Digitalization and innovation can work hand in hand with real-estate development in the pursuit of better living quality, Chiu said.
Toward the end, TLDC, which used to focus on the development of government-owned industrial parks, plan to introduce creative, digital and leisure elements to four existing development projects in Hsinchu, Hualien and Kinmen, he said.
Last week, TLDC celebrated the presence of sports brands Nike, New Balance, PUMA and Converse at Kinmen’s Wind Lion Plaza (風獅城), a build-operate-transfer project with the county government, Chiu said.
The move is TLDC’s latest bid to turn the plaza into a shopping haven for tourists from Taiwan, China and elsewhere using the “three small links” transport route, he said.
Retailers from China have voiced interest in setting up outlets in the plaza, attracted by its relatively low rent and duty-free business potential, Chiu said.
In addition, TLDC plans to boost the appeal of its Hsinpu Smart Park in Hsinchu by launching a peacock garden over the Lunar New Year holiday, he said.
The company owns a large plot of land in Hsinpu where the developer plans to build boutique hotels, service apartments and Hakka-style villas, flanked with a farm and tea garden on either side to provide the feeling of peace and harmony with the environment.
TLDC will also continue to develop Hualien Creative Park and a residential complex the Huilanwan Sunrise Village, Chiu said.
The former project includes a movie theater, a hotel, a cultural museum, a conference center and other facilities, while the latter offers “green,” “smart” apartments equipped with the latest technology devices and services.
“All TLDC projects mean to answer people’s longing to retire free and happy,” Chiu said.
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