Eslite to open second Japan store in Osaka in 2027: Company chair

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Taiwanese bookstore and lifestyle chain Eslite Spectrum Corp. is set to open a new store in Osaka in 2027, marking a second location in Japan following its 2019 debut in Tokyo, the company's chairwoman announced Thursday.

Speaking at the company's annual shareholders' meeting, Eslite Chairwoman Mercy Wu (吳旻潔) said that the Taipei-based company is also planning a third outlet in Japan as part of broader overseas expansion efforts aimed at boosting group revenue to NT$30 billion (US$954.08 million) by 2028.

Wu noted that at the invitation of Japanese department store operator Marui Group Co., Ltd., Eslite will partner with Yurindo, a century-old Japanese bookstore chain, to launch the new location at the Namba Marui shopping mall in Osaka.

Scheduled to open in the second half of 2027, the Osaka outlet will become Eslite's second location in Japan after its Tokyo branch opened in the Nihonbashi district in September 2019.

While Eslite's overseas expansion slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company's current operational focus is on Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, Wu said.

Eslite currently operates 49 locations across Taiwan and overseas markets, including Hong Kong, Suzhou, Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur, she added.

According to Wu, the Osaka outlet will be slightly smaller than Eslite's roughly 800-ping (2,645-square-meters) Tokyo store, but will still rank as a large retail space within the department store complex.

The Osaka store aims to attract younger consumers by integrating anime related intellectual property content and reading-related elements, in line with Marui's recent transformation strategy, she said.

Yurindo, Eslite's licensing partner in Japan, will continue to drive the brand's local expansion, with discussions already underway for a third Japanese store, Wu said.

In terms of revenue outlook, Wu noted that the group generated NT$26 billion in sales revenue last year and aims to reach the NT$30 billion milestone by 2028.

Wu expects both revenue and profitability to grow steadily this year, while the company's e-commerce business is projected to break even in two to three years.

In Taiwan, Eslite has also confirmed several large-scale expansion projects. These include a nearly 3,000-ping store in Taipei's Gongguan commercial district set for 2027, and a nearly 5,000-ping standalone shopping complex near the Taoyuan HSR Qingpu Station. The latter is being developed in partnership with printed circuit board maker Zhen Ding Tech. Group and is slated to open in 2028.

Wu added that negotiations for other large-scale locations in Taiwan are ongoing, with openings expected after 2028.