Eslite Spectrum Corp (誠品生活), which runs the Eslite bookstore chain, department stores and leisure lifestyle services in Taiwan and abroad, yesterday said that its outlet at Taipei’s prime Xinyi District (信義) would close at the end of this year because its lease is set to expire.
Eslite said in a statement to its suppliers that it has no choice but to shut the 24-hour outlet as the landlords do not intend to renew the contract.
Uni-President Group (統一集團), which owns food manufacturer Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業) and runs the 7-Eleven convenience store chain in Taiwan, is the largest of the Xinyi Eslite store’s seven landlords and reportedly seeks to turn the site into its own department store.
Photo: Chang Hui-wen, Taipei Times
Eslite last year sought to offer its landlords better terms — including higher rent and a larger share of its sales revenue — in a bid to keep the location.
The company did not comment on media reports that the Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store (松菸誠品) at nearby Songshan Cultural and Creative Park would take over the 24-hour operation model.
The Xinyi store, which has books and magazines from more than 4,500 publishers in Taiwan and abroad, has had more than 200 million customers since opening 18 years ago, it said.
The outlet began offering 24-hour services in the spring of 2020 after the Eslite branch on the intersection of Dunhua S Road and Renai Road closed in May that year. That branch had opened in 1989 and began 24-hour operations in 1999, soon growing into a popular tourist venue.
Eslite said it would open a giant store in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) and in Taichung in the second half of this year.
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