Past and Present of Taipei Station Mall: After Jinhua and Breeze's Transformation, Will Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Seize Management Rights?
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has reportedly won the bidding for the management rights of the Taipei Station mall, ending Breeze Group's highly successful era which transformed the space into a food paradise.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 23:24
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Central News
(CNA, Taipei, 24th, Web) In the bidding for the management rights of the Taipei Station mall, it is rumored that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has seized the rights, defeating competitors such as Breeze, JR East, and Uni-President. Since its opening in 1989, the second-floor mall of Taipei Station has gone through the dark era of Jinhua Department Store, followed by a transformation under Breeze, and may now face another massive change. CNA takes readers back to see how the Taipei Station mall turned from a deserted "mosquito hall" into the highly contested "cash cow" it is today.
The current Taipei Station is a fourth-generation structure, completed and opened on September 2, 1989. The management rights for the second-floor mall were won by Shangxian Company, which operated Jinhua Department Store; at the time, it was the largest public mall in the country. However, Jinhua Department Store was poorly managed. Many travelers at the time wondered why the station was crowded with people, but the second-floor mall was always sparse, completely incomparable to the bright malls of large stations in other countries.
Later, Shangxian Company and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) were entangled in litigation over rent for 13 years. In March 2004, the court ruled that TRA should reclaim the management rights, and in June 2005, the Ministry of Transportation's TRA forcibly evicted Jinhua Department Store from Taipei Station.
Breeze Group took over the renovation of the Taipei Station mall, and on October 26, 2007, the "Breeze Taipei Station" mall opened. The late Breeze Group Chairman Liao Wei-chih, considering that there was already a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store near Taipei Station, positioned Breeze Taipei Station as a food paradise. By bringing in numerous popular restaurants, he flipped the impression of passing travelers from "eat and leave" to a consumer motive of "coming here to eat," while also gathering souvenirs from all over, allowing travelers a one-stop shopping experience.
In 2011, Taipei Station launched a renovation plan, with Breeze Group responsible for the mall planning on the 1st floor and 1st basement level. The main hall adopted a retro style with black and white checkerboard flooring, becoming a multi-functional exhibition space.
Although Breeze has not disclosed actual operational numbers, department store insiders estimate, based on Taipei Station's high daily traffic of nearly 600,000 people and observations of mall efficiency, that the average annual revenue of Breeze Taipei Station is about NT$2.5 billion to NT$3 billion, making it Breeze Group's most profitable cash cow.
The contract between the Taipei Station mall and Breeze Group expires on July 24. TRA announced the solicitation of investments in mid-January this year, with bidding closing on March 20, and originally planned to announce the results in late April. Media reports indicate that TRA recently held a selection meeting, where Shin Kong Mitsukoshi defeated Breeze, JR East, and Uni-President to win the management rights of the Taipei Station mall. TRA stated quietly on the 24th that the case is still in process and made no further comment. (Edited by Chang Chia-erh) 1150424
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(CNA, Taipei, 24th, Web) In the bidding for the management rights of the Taipei Station mall, it is rumored that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has seized the rights, defeating competitors such as Breeze, JR East, and Uni-President. Since its opening in 1989, the second-floor mall of Taipei Station has gone through the dark era of Jinhua Department Store, followed by a transformation under Breeze, and may now face another massive change. CNA takes readers back to see how the Taipei Station mall turned from a deserted "mosquito hall" into the highly contested "cash cow" it is today.
The current Taipei Station is a fourth-generation structure, completed and opened on September 2, 1989. The management rights for the second-floor mall were won by Shangxian Company, which operated Jinhua Department Store; at the time, it was the largest public mall in the country. However, Jinhua Department Store was poorly managed. Many travelers at the time wondered why the station was crowded with people, but the second-floor mall was always sparse, completely incomparable to the bright malls of large stations in other countries.
Later, Shangxian Company and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) were entangled in litigation over rent for 13 years. In March 2004, the court ruled that TRA should reclaim the management rights, and in June 2005, the Ministry of Transportation's TRA forcibly evicted Jinhua Department Store from Taipei Station.
Breeze Group took over the renovation of the Taipei Station mall, and on October 26, 2007, the "Breeze Taipei Station" mall opened. The late Breeze Group Chairman Liao Wei-chih, considering that there was already a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store near Taipei Station, positioned Breeze Taipei Station as a food paradise. By bringing in numerous popular restaurants, he flipped the impression of passing travelers from "eat and leave" to a consumer motive of "coming here to eat," while also gathering souvenirs from all over, allowing travelers a one-stop shopping experience.
In 2011, Taipei Station launched a renovation plan, with Breeze Group responsible for the mall planning on the 1st floor and 1st basement level. The main hall adopted a retro style with black and white checkerboard flooring, becoming a multi-functional exhibition space.
Although Breeze has not disclosed actual operational numbers, department store insiders estimate, based on Taipei Station's high daily traffic of nearly 600,000 people and observations of mall efficiency, that the average annual revenue of Breeze Taipei Station is about NT$2.5 billion to NT$3 billion, making it Breeze Group's most profitable cash cow.
The contract between the Taipei Station mall and Breeze Group expires on July 24. TRA announced the solicitation of investments in mid-January this year, with bidding closing on March 20, and originally planned to announce the results in late April. Media reports indicate that TRA recently held a selection meeting, where Shin Kong Mitsukoshi defeated Breeze, JR East, and Uni-President to win the management rights of the Taipei Station mall. TRA stated quietly on the 24th that the case is still in process and made no further comment. (Edited by Chang Chia-erh) 1150424
Stand with facts; every sponsorship you make is a force protecting press freedom.
Download the CNA 'First Hand News' APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.