Ximen’s Far Eastern department store to be knocked down for huge makeover

Ximen’s Far Eastern department store to be knocked down for huge makeover

2023-05-24

Taiwan’s longest-operating department store is soon to be demolished and given a total remake. The Far Eastern Baoqing Store has been in Taipei’s Ximen district for 51 years. But the old family favorite has lost customers to nearby competitors as well as the younger department stores across the city. In August, the store will enter a five-year reconstruction phase. Its owners hope a fresh, new look and more fashionable concessions can attract a younger and more affluent crowd.

After 51 years in business, Far Eastern Taipei Baoqing Store is planning a grand closing auction. In August the building will be knocked down and rebuilt.

Local resident
It’s been there so many years. It’s the oldest department store. It’s not as big as the others. If there were lots of tourists, it would be doing great.

Ximen’s Far Eastern is the first department store to get a makeover as part of the government policy to reconstruct unsafe, old buildings. When the 6,000 ping block has been knocked down and rebuilt, it will have a new floorspace of over 10,000 ping with an estimated value three to four times that of the current building.

Lin Yung-chin
FTV reporter
It’s been officially announced: Taiwan’s oldest Far Eastern department store, located beside exit 3 of MRT Ximen Station, will be knocked down and given a huge makeover, in a bid to attract tourists and younger consumers from the commercial district over the road.

The store lies outside the typical pedestrian circuit of Ximen’s commercial district. Its current clientele are mostly public servants aged 45 to 55. But after its makeover, it will have a new look and more new restaurants and brands aimed at younger demographics.

Hsu Chia-hsin
Real estate project research studio
With the position of Far Eastern Baoqing Store itself plus its subsidiaries, it really does seem that the crowds at Ximending might not be able to deliver a very clear upswing. If in the future it is remodeled into a new, large-scale department store, then certainly it could link up with the crowds which already exist in the Ximending commercial district.

Chang Hsu-lan
Real estate trends expert
The majority of department stores now are concentrated in Xinyi District and the East District. Their external design is more up-to-date, more fashionable. Older stores find it harder to attract younger customers or clientele with more consumer power, so they are being forced to face this transition.

Taiwan’s longest-running department store is facing drastic changes. The reconstruction of the site is slated to take five years to complete. Plenty of time to place your bets on the prospects of the new Far Eastern.

老百貨拚華麗轉身西門町遠百8月都更重建

2023-05-24

西門町有不少老百貨近年來面臨轉型命運，位在西門捷運站3號出口旁的，遠東百貨寶慶店，是目前台北最老的百貨，今年邁入第51年，因為過去客群是高齡公務員，與西門當地客群不符，因此業者決定打掉重建，預估5年後，會有全新風貌。

走過51個年頭的西門遠百，將舉辦封館大拍賣，因為8月就要動工重建。

[[當地居民]]
"年資很久了啊，最早的百貨公司，沒有像其他百貨公司規模這麼大，觀光客多的話，生意就會很好"

身為台北市首件危老案的百貨公司，有6千多坪規模，打掉重練後，將有上萬坪的營業面積，預估可提升3到4倍的資產價值。

[[民視記者林詠琪]]
"位在西門捷運站3號出口旁，全台北最資深的遠東百貨，這回正式宣布要拆除重建翻新，就是希望能吸引對面商圈的觀光客與年輕族群"

遠百寶慶店不在商圈徒步區，主要客層是平均年齡45歲至55歲的公務員，拆除重建後，不只有新裝潢，還可引進更多新餐廳、品牌，鎖定西門商圈的年輕族群。

[[不動產企劃研究室執行總監徐佳馨]]
"(遠東百貨寶慶店)本身規劃加上所屬的位置，所以西門町的人潮，可能沒有辦法對它帶來太明顯的帶動效果，如果說未來它改建成一個新的大型百貨公司，確實有可能跟西門町商圈原本的人潮產生連動"

[[房產趨勢專家張旭嵐]]
"現在的百貨公司，大部分都是集中在信義區跟東區，它的外觀設計都是屬於比較新穎跟時髦的，舊的百貨公司比較難吸引像是，比較年輕或者是具有消費力的客層，所以也勢必要面臨轉型"

老百貨大刀闊斧拚轉型，重建時間要五年，能不能華麗轉身？還要再等等。

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Camila Saenz
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Camila Saenz
Founder
When I first came to Taiwan, I realized that the education when it comes to languages was a bit different from my experience back home. I have traveled alot. I have been to more than 40 countries and I realized that language are mainly to have a conversation, but in Taiwan everyone is about the cram schools kind of environment to memorize and pass exams. Taiwanese have been learning English for so long but when it comes to having a conversation, they will get a bit nervous. I wanted a way to solve that.

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Camila Saenz
Founder
My goal has always been to give back to Taiwan because Taiwan has given me two fully-funded scholarships to study my bachelor and Ph.D. degree. So I wanted to find a way to have an impact in education as well. When I found out about the initiative for Taiwan to be a bilingual country by 2030, I was like, okay, how can I actually have a little impact in this? The thing that I am most proud of is that slowly we are changing the mentality and stereotypes of only native English speakers can teach English. I think in the very beginning, it was a huge challenge for us because most of our tutors are not native speakers, like myself. My first language is Spanish. But changing the mentality and telling Taiwanese that other people from other nationalities can also teach English.

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Camila Saenz
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Voice of Ms. Hung
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