Thu, Oct 25, 2001 page17

• New `Breeze' blowing in Taipei

  SHOPPING Despite the economic downturn, the executive director of the city's new Breeze Center expects the sprawling mall to break even in its first year

  • By Annabel Lue and Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTERS
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  Breeze Center, the first multi-function shopping center located in downtown Taipei which opens to the public tomorrow, is expected to break even in its first year, a company executive said yesterday.

  "We are expecting to hit our NT$5 billion sales goal for the first year," said Henry Liao (廖鎮漢), executive director of Breeze Development Co Ltd (三僑實業).

  

  Employees at the Breeze Center, downtown Taipei's first multi-function shopping center, prepare for the mall's opening day tomorrow.

  PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Liao said that initial construction of the center cost more than NT$3 billion.

  

  Breeze Center Chairman Liao Wei-chih, center, is surrounded by political heavyweights as they hammer open sake for the mall's opening.

  PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  The Breeze Center, which encompasses a sprawling 7,590m2, holds several department stores, a 6-screen theater complex, food courts and a supermarket on its nine floors. It also has an outdoor square. The center targets female customers between the ages of 18 and 38.

  "Breeze Center would like to feature high-end boutiques, which have not been available in Taiwan before," Liao said.

  Liao believes the new mall can make a profit by selling premium products despite the country's slowing economy, basing his observation on growing boutique sales in Japan, which has been in a recession for many years.

  In a bid to minimize the traffic impact around the new mall, Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) led government officials to inspect the site yesterday afternoon and urged the public to take advantage of public transport.

  Located at the intersection of Fuhsing N. Road and the Civic Boulevard, mall-goers will be allowed to get on and off their motor vehicles in front of the center, and off buses or taxis on the east side of the mall.

  As the Chunghsiao Fuhsing station of the MRT Panchiao-Nankang line is not scheduled to resume operations until the end of the month, most people will likely travel to the center by car. But Ma said shuttle buses traveling between the center and the Chunghsiao Fuhsing MRT station will be dispatched every 5 minutes when the station becomes operational.

  Meanwhile, another soon-to-be opened shopping mall in Taipei, Core Pacific City (京華城), is hoping to corner the market for mid-level, popular products.

  "In the economic downturn, we would like to offer more economic and convenient services to the public," said Shen Ching-ching (沈慶京), chairman of the Core Pacific Group.

  Shen said Core Pacific City will be more than an ordinary shopping center. "We will be open 24 hours a day, enabling our customers to shop, seek entertainment or dine at anytime."

  Currently, the 24,420m2, 19-floor mall has signed on at least one thousand retailers, featuring products for men, women and children.

  Core Pacific City, with an initial investment of NT$24 billion, is scheduled to open on Nov. 23 near the intersection of the Civil Boulevard and Tungning Road.

  The company predicts NT$24 billion sales in the first year, and "we are supposed to break even by the end of next year," Shen said.

  According to Liu Yu-ling (劉玉玲), deputy manager of the venture, Core Pacific City is triple the size of Breeze Center and is three times larger than the Pacific Sogo department store on Chunghsiao E. Road.

  Once the two new malls are opened, there will be a total four shopping malls located in the East Taipei shopping district -- Breeze Center, Core Pacific City, Pacific Sogo Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨) and Sunrise Department Store (中興百貨).

  "I will say Breeze Center's environment, for example, its sufficient parking space, is very convenient and will be beneficial to the customers," said Yang Shih-min (楊世敏), deputy manager of Sunrise.

  "This might attract people to go to Breeze's food court and cinema rather than other entertainment spots."

  Pacific Sogo, Taipei's most competitive department store with NT$13.7 billion in sales last year, has adjusted its consumer target.

  "We decided to provide more products for teenagers and high-income consumers, who are less affected by the recession," said Chiang Ching-neng (江慶能), assistant manager of Pacific Sogo.
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