Eslite Spectrum Corp (誠品生活), which runs the Eslite bookstore chain, on Saturday said that it will either choose its branch in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) or Nanxi (南西) as its 24-hour outlet following the closure of the Dunnan (敦南) store.
Eslite on April 10 launched an online poll asking people to vote for their preference for the company’s new 24-hour bookstore after the Dunnan store closes when its lease expires at the end of next month.
Among five candidates, the Xinyi store, on Songgao Road, garnered the most support, ahead of the Nanxi store, which is on Nanjing W Road, the company said.
Photo: CNA
Those who support the Xinyi store touted its favorable location inside the busy commercial district and its proximity to mass transit systems, while those who favored the Nanxi store said they could grab a cup of coffee while reading.
Sarutahiko Coffee, a popular Japanese brand, has opened a branch inside the Nanxi store.
Eslite, which is expected to announce its decision on Thursday, has said that while the Nanxi store ranks second in the poll, it might be a more viable location to become its 24-hour outlet when all conditions are considered.
FEW IN THE WORLD
The Dunnan store opened in 1989 and started to provide round-the-clock service in 1999, becoming one of the few bookstores in the world to remain open 24 hours.
The building housing the bookstore is to be rebuilt under an urban renewal project launched by Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控).
The store, covering two above-ground floors and three below in the 12-story Dunnan Financial Building on Dunhua S Road, has been a big draw for foreign visitors and has become a nighttime tourist attraction.
The company also said the deadline for the sale of 100,000 books from the store’s stock has been extended to Friday next week.
TAITUNG CLOSURE
Meanwhile, Eslite has said it would close its Taitung store at the end of this month after closing its Anping (安平) outlet in Tainan last month.
The company would have 42 stores in Taiwan once the Dunnan store closes.
Eslite has stores in Taikoo, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, and Suzhou and Shenzhen in China, as well as an outlet in Tokyo, which opened in September last year.
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