As the summer vacation of elementary and high school students began last week, Taiwan’s leading convenience store chain 7-Eleven announced the opening of the world’s first Hello Kitty-themed store in downtown Taipei. Located in the city’s Ximending area, a popular spot among young people and foreign tourists, the pink store offers a variety of items from the cat’s creator Sanrio.
Due to high competition among the convenience store chains, 7-Eleven started to open themed stores last year in order to boost business. The 70 ping (231m2) Hello Kitty-themed store is the chain’s 10th and largest themed store. After the original stores were converted into themed stores, the number of customers for each store has increased by at least 20 to 30 percent.
Take the company’s Open Chan-themed store for example. The store has been attracting over 1,000 visitors per day after renovation. Last month, the company also caused a stir by opening the world’s first two Snoopy-themed 7-Eleven stores, both in Taipei.
Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven 照片︰7-Eleven提供
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
隨著中小學上週起開始放暑徦，台灣便利商店龍頭7-Eleven宣布全球首間Hello Kitty主題聯名店在台北市開幕。這間粉紅色的主題店，位在年輕族群和外國遊客聚集的西門町商圈，販售這隻無嘴貓製造商三麗鷗旗下多種產品。
由於連鎖超商的競爭相當激烈，7-Eleven自去年起陸續推出主題店，試圖提振業績。Hello Kitty聯名店約七十坪（兩百三十一平方公尺），是目前第十家、也是最大一家聯名店。在原來的店面轉換成聯名店後，單店來客數至少成長兩到三成。
Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven 照片︰7-Eleven提供
若以該公司的Open將主題店為例，在改裝後平均每日可吸引上千位訪客。7-Eleven上個月在台北市，推出的全球首兩間史努比主題店亦引起騷動。
（台北時報張聖恩〉
Microsoft on Feb. 28 announced it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan acquired in 2011. “Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” said a post from Skype support on X, directing users to sign into Microsoft’s Teams platform for further use of its services. Skype was founded in 2003 by Scandinavians Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in Estonia, revolutionizing Internet communication by offering free voice calls between computers and affordable rates for calls to landlines and mobile phones. Over the years, and as Internet speeds improved, Skype evolved to
A: It’s a pity that I can’t go to Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue’s concert. B: Why not? A: Hit Japanese singer Kenshi Yonezu is staging two shows at the Taipei Arena this weekend, and I already bought tickets long ago. B: Wow, isn’t he one of the most popular Japanese singers in recent years? A: And Yonezu’s megahit “Lemon” topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100’s year-end chart in 2018 and 2019 consecutively. A: 我不能去澳洲歌后凱莉米諾的演唱會真可惜。 B: 為什麼？ A: 日本人氣歌手米津玄師週末將在小巨蛋熱唱兩場，我早早就買票啦。 B: 哇他可是日本近年來最紅的歌手之一。 A: 米津的神曲《Lemon》甚至還在2018、2019年連續稱霸告示牌日本單曲榜年度冠軍！ (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
A: Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue is set to visit Taiwan for the third time on Saturday. B: I remember that her Taipei concerts in 2008 and 2011 caused a sensation, and I love her megahit “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” A: This will be her first time performing in the southern city of Kaohsiung. B: Many music critics praise Kylie’s show as “a must-see in your lifetime.” A: Let’s go to Kaohsiung this weekend. A: 澳洲歌后凱莉米諾週六即將三度訪台。 B: 她曾在2008、2011年兩度在台北開唱都造成大轟動，我超愛她的神曲《Can’t Get You Out of My Head》。 A: 這次可是她首度唱進南台灣的高雄呢。 B: 許多樂評家說她的演唱會是「此生必看」！ A: 那我們週末去高雄吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Donburi, often simply called don, is a beloved Japanese dish that consists of a bowl of steamed rice topped with various other ingredients. The word donburi itself actually means “bowl” in Japanese, but it has come to represent much more than just a vessel. Donburi first emerged during the Edo period (1603–1867) as a quick and convenient meal for busy city dwellers. By the 19th century, donburi had become immensely popular among theater enthusiasts, who often purchased these portable meals to enjoy during long performances. Una-don, a donburi topped with grilled eel, was a particular favorite. Easy-to-carry and satisfying,
RSS