TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Eastern Home Shopping & Leisure Co., Ltd. (EHS, 東森購物) announced on Monday (Jan. 16) it will take over from Eslite as the new operator of the sprawling underground mall at the Taipei Main Station.

Taking up an area of 5,000 ping (16,525 square meters), the “K Zone” of the underground shopping area is accessed by 40 million visitors a year and raked in an annual revenue of NT$600 million (US$19.78 million) on average prior to COVID, according to EHS.

The online shopping giant said it will bring in more services that cater to consumers and the young students who hold events and practice dancing in the spacious zone. Also, it is mulling setting up a dedicated gathering space for migrant workers who frequent the train station, wrote UDN.

This is part of EHS’s bid to expand its business in brick-and-mortar operations in an online-merge-offline (OMO) approach. It is eying a greater presence in train station shopping areas, hospital food courts, and expressway rest areas, said Gary Wang (王令麟), chairman of EHS’s parent organization, Eastern Media International Corporation (EMG, 東森集團).

EMG doled out year-end bonuses totaling NT$600 million for its employees, with EHS workers receiving up to five months’ salary. The group recently hosted a year-end banquet of 400 tables in which prizes worth NT$35 million were given away.

Taipei Main Station is a transportation hub where the services of Taiwan Railway, Metro Taipei, Airport Metro, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and Taiwan Bus converge.

The underground shopping area of Taipei Main Station. (Travel Taipei photos)