Taiwan had 13,706 convenience stores — one per 1,703 people — as of the end of last year, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed.
Based on the country’s population of 23.34 million, Taiwan’s store density exceeded that of Japan (one per 2,220 people), but was lower than South Korea’s (one per 897 people), the data released over the weekend showed.
The largest convenience store chain in Taiwan is 7-Eleven, with 6,859 outlets, ahead of FamilyMart with 4,234 stores at the end of last year.
Photo: Taipei Times
Backed by a 3.4 percent increase in the number of outlets, Taiwan’s convenience store operators generated record revenues of NT$412.6 billion (US$13.03 billion) last year, the ministry said.
An 8 percent annual rise in total sales marked the 14th consecutive year of year-on-year growth, with each outlet generating an average of NT$30.1 million, up from NT$28.83 million a year earlier, it said.
Between 2020 and last year, sales at convenience stores in Taiwan increased an average 5.6 percent.
As outlets recorded an average annual increase of 4.1 percent from 2016 to 2019, convenience stores appear to have bounced back in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, the ministry said.
The rebound has been driven in part by a push to diversify their products, services and payment offerings, such as launching cross-branded products with prestigious brands and famous restaurants, and providing more healthy food and drink options, it said.
Alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages accounted for about 60 percent of stores’ revenue last year, down 6.5 percentage points from a year earlier, it said.
Other food items made up 31.9 percent of the sales, up 6.5 percentage points from a year earlier.
Convenience stores usually see peak season effects in January during a buying spree ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, while hot weather and summer vacations in July and August are expected to create new business opportunities, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s largely 24-hour convenience stores have become an integral part of urban life in the past few years.
Taipei’s Linsen N Road has the highest store density for a single street in the region, with one every 100m, local media reports said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS