TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Book retailer Eslite Spectrum Corporation is confident that 2024 will see the company’s first profits after three years of losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports said Wednesday.

While figures for the final quarter of 2024 are not yet known, the third quarter showed a profit, which was likely to continue, according to Chair Mercy Wu (吳旻潔). Revenue for the year totaled NT$24 billion (US$729.69 million), per CNA.

Eslite Spectrum sold more than nine million books in 2024, a rise of 8% from the previous year and a recent high, according to Wu. The number of e-books sold surged by 17%, she added.

Investing in an online marketplace also took effort, Wu said. The brick-and-mortar outlets have seen business return to pre-COVID levels, while after three years, the online business could turn self-sufficient, she predicted.

The number of Eslite members had reached 3.9 million and was expected to grow to over four million during the coming year. Wu estimated revenue would grow between 5% and 8% over 2025, with a key contribution coming from a large new outlet scheduled to open in Tainan in March.