TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Book retailer Eslite Spectrum Corporation opened a branch in Tainan on Saturday, hoping to provide 500 jobs and attract 4 million customers a year.

The two lower floors of the site house a department store, while the largest offering of books in south Taiwan is to be found on the third and fourth floors, the Liberty Times reported. The store, located in Tainan’s South District, measures 20,000 square meters.

Even before its opening, the building designed by architect Ken Lo (羅耕甫) won the 2022 TAC World Design Award for Commercial Concept. The store also includes the region’s largest selection of children’s books.

The Tainan City Government said the Eslite would form the center of a new destination for tourism, culture, and leisure in the Yancheng area. The city expected 4 million people would spend money at the store per year, including visitors from other regions of Taiwan and from overseas.