TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The bookstore Eslite announced its expansion plan on Wednesday (Dec.8), which includes opening 100 community bookstores in Taiwan and its first flagship branch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Eslite Spectrum Corp. (誠品生活), which operates the bookstore chain in Taiwan, has opened overseas branches in Hong Kong, China, and Japan since 2012. In 2020, the company decided to grow its business in the Southeast Asian market, signing a partnership with the YTL Corp, the largest conglomerate in Malaysia. YTL is launching a flagship branch at its mixed-use property, the Starhill, in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur. Lee Chieh-hsiu (李介修), the president of the company, confirmed the Kuala Lumpur outlet will be launched in 2022. Meanwhile, Lee revealed the latest expansion plan for Taiwan, saying an 18,000-ping (59,504-square meter) outlet will open in Yulong City in New Taipei’s Xindian District in 2023, while an 8,000-ping (26,446-square meter) outlet will open in Tainan in 2024. The executive pointed out that amid the pandemic, Eslite Spectrum Corp has made various decisions on selling more English language books, in addition to developing podcasts and an app. In October, the company even set up the first "Eslite me-time" outlet in Neihu. Lee said that next year, in addition to opening a shop in the Far Eastern Department Store in New Taipei City, the second "Eslite me-time" outlet will launch in Hsinchu County’s Zhubei.
