Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite to open new Taikoo Shing megastore

It hasn't exactly been a good year for big bookstores, but at least one retailer is hoping to turn the page and begin an exciting new chapter.

Barely a week after Times Square's Page One outlet closed its doors for good and a month since Dymocks shut its flagship IFC store, Swire Properties has announced plans for a new Eslite megastore in Taikoo Shing early next year.

Eslite Spectrum Hong Kong - a lifestyle bookstore - will take up 49,000 square feet and two storeys of retail space at the Cityplaza mall, the developer said.

"Hosting the largest Eslite Spectrum store on Hong Kong Island, Cityplaza will expand its diversity to explore more possibilities for the city's retail scene," said the mall's general manager Fiona Shiu.

The move will be in line with the mall's recently completed "facelift" to refine its trade mix with "more exceptional brands".

Losing the Taikoo Shing space to Eslite will be the 27-year-old Wing On department store, which announced yesterday that Cityplaza was unwilling to renew or extend its lease when it expires this August.

The Taiwanese book chain said it hoped the new store would "continue to bring the energy of reading and cultural creativity to Hong Kong" and "make the city a better place". Eslite bookstores are known for multipurpose use of retail space combining exhibitions, live arts events and dining.