Taiwanese firm Eslite will open not just its first bookstore in Hong Kong next week but the city's first 24-hour bookstore.
The store, on three floors of Causeway Bay's new Hysan Place mall, will operate around the clock from Thursdays to Saturdays, at least initially.
Executive vice-president Mercy Wu Wen-chieh yesterday said the 24-hour concept was a response to readers' requests. 'It brings them a sense of security. The shop is there whenever they need it,' she said.
The round-the-clock arrangement will be reviewed in mid-September.
On the question of how Eslite would deal with people who fall asleep in the shop late at night, Catherine Wang Po-qi, operating director of Eslite Spectrum Hong Kong, said it was understandable that readers would occasionally feel drowsy while reading.
She said she did not think customers would misuse the store.