Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite hopes to pay off the hefty cost of opening its first Hong Kong branch within the year, while gearing up to move into the mainland market, its boss says.
'Our Hong Kong store is both a means and an end for our development plan outside of Taiwan,' said Catherine Wang Po-chi, operating director of Eslite's Causeway Bay store, which opens tomorrow.
The huge three-storey store will offer a platform for cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Hong Kong, involving books and other cultural activities, including the midnight forums with leading figures that are a popular feature at some of its 40 stores in Taiwan.
'We take a long-term perspective to nurture our circles and clients here through sharing and exchange,' she said, adding that the store had signed a 10-year lease at the new Hysan Place mall for an undisclosed discount price.
'We are honoured to partner with Hysan, whose long-term commitment to Causeway Bay and to the environmental cause, as manifested in this new building, strike a common note with us,' said Wang, who has been studying the local scene since moving to the city from Taiwan in December.
'Our success depends on the endorsement of the Hong Kong people, and for that we have to acquaint ourselves with their sentiments, thoughts and value system.'
The Hong Kong store is the first venture outside Taiwan for Eslite, which was founded in 1989.