President Chain Store Corp (PCSC, 統一超商), the operator of the nation’s largest convenience store chain, yesterday said it plans to bid on three to five projects next year to operate shopping centers at domestic transportation hubs, including airports and freeway rest stops.
The anticipated revenue generated from shopping center projects could grow 5 percent annually next year if the company wins the bids, PCSC group chief operations officer Stephen Lin (林啟昌) said.
The company operates 47 shopping center projects at major tourism attractions, airports, bus stations and hospitals, company statistics show, with the projects expected to attract 60.73 million visitors this year, up from last year’s 55 million.
Such projects are forecast to contribute revenue of more than NT$4 billion (US$132.63 million) per year, the company said.
The company declined to elaborate on profit performance generated from its shopping center projects, saying only that most of them are profitable.
PCSC plans to submit its bid to run a shopping center at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport by the end of this year, Lin told reporters after a launch event for the firm’s shopping center at Taipei International Airport (Songshan Airport) yesterday.
The three-year project at Songshan airport, which is to cost NT$20 million, is forecast to bring monthly revenue of NT$9 million, the company said.
The strategy to explore opportunities in the shopping center business comes as the company seeks to raise brand awareness for its parent group, Uni-President Group (統一集團), by introducing PCSC’s major subsidiaries, Lin said.
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