Eslite Spectrum Corp., owner of the Eslite bookstore chain, which has 50 locations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Japan, is considering opening stores in Southeast Asia, and particularly in Malaysia, the Taipei Times reported.
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, Eslite Spectrum chairwoman Mercy Wu said that Malaysia is an attractive country for growth in part because 25% of its population is ethnic Chinese.
She also said that Eslite bookstores remain unprofitable: "Today, profitability continues to pose the biggest challenge for Eslite as it turns 30 years old this year," adding that "no enterprise in the world can live off running bookstores as its core operation." Still, the bookstores are an important part of what Wu described as the company's "cultural innovation business."
Eslite Spectrum also runs department stores and restaurants, and sells appliances and equipment for hotels, restaurants, kitchens and wine cellars.