TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Books.com.tw, an e-commerce giant in Taiwan, is reportedly planning a 24/7 bookstore in Taipei’s Xinyi District.
Asked about the rumor on Tuesday (Aug. 15), Vice President Emily He (何禮旭) was vague, saying Books.com.tw “does not rule out any possibility,” per UDN. She made the remark at an event in Taipei celebrating “Books Power” and the 28th anniversary of the company.
A brick-and-mortar location would be a first for the online retailer and bookstore. It could be located in the building in Xinyi District currently housing the 24-hour branch of Eslite, which will close at the end of 2023 after its lease expires, according to Business Today.
Currently, Books.com.tw teams up with 7-Eleven for its business in physical stores. Selected books are available at around 1,700 7-Eleven locations in Taiwan.
The company posted losses for the first and second quarters due to a change in consumer habits and the decline of the publishing sector, said He. E-books and audiobooks will be the next areas of focus as Book.com.tw evolves, she added.
Meanwhile, the online platform will invest NT$1 billion (US$31.4 million) in five years on user experience optimization and on upgrades to information security to maintain its dominance in online book sales.
Books.com.tw faced criticism for being one of the top five Taiwan e-commerce platforms where fraud was rampant in 2022. In the same year, it was fined by the Taipei City Government for abusing labor rights.
