taiwan’s eslite to open Sea outpost in KL
BOOK lovers, time to celebrate! Renowned Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite is set to open an outlet in Kuala Lumpur next year.
In a report by Oriental Daily, Eslite Spectrum Corp chairwoman Mercy Wu announced the company is planning to launch a store in a prominent location in KL.
It will also be the first Eslite store in South-east Asia.
Wu stated that the Taiwanese bookstore chain, which operates on a literature and lifestyle-based model, is continuing to conduct market research in Malaysian.
Plans had been made for the outlet to open in 2021, but this could now be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. An exact date for the launch has not yet been set.
Details are scarce as Eslite has reportedly signed a non-disclosure agreement with its local partners. Reports, however, state that the KL bookstore could be as large as 6,600sq m.
It was reported in the Taipei Times last year that Eslite viewed Malaysia as an attractive country for its growth, in part because 25% of its population is ethnic Chinese.
Eslite Bookstore is one of the largest retail bookstore chains in Taiwan. It also provides one of the largest English language publications and translation materials in Taiwan.
The bookstore was established in 1989 by Robert Wu, and currently has 48 outlets in Taiwan. Its outlet in Dunhua was the first 24-hour bookstore in the world. However, it closed at the end of last month.
Eslite currently also has bookstores in Hong Kong, Japan and China. – Terence Toh