Asia Books plans largest-ever store in BKK
Aiming to achieve double-digit growth next year, Asia Books, a distributor and bookstore-chain operator specialising in Englishlanguage books, plans to add new branches including its largest-ever store, in Bangkok, next month.
“This Bt150million flagship store is the largest investment in the company’s 43-year history,” managing director Sirote Jiraprayoon told The Nation.
The new store located on 900squaremetre areas on the sixth floor at Central World shopping centre will leave 500-square-metre store at Siam Paragon as number two. Its new design concept would be totally different from other format.
The company aimed to design an ambience and environment at the flagship store to encourage customer a love of reading, said Sirote.
Apart from this biggest store, by next month Asia Books will add another branch, worth of Bt10 to Bt20 million, at Central Rama 9.
Since late last year, the company had spent about Bt10 million for its software license and infrastructure to set up online services, including website upgrading, e-book mobile applications development. With this move and more than 700,000 English language e-book titles, the company aims to attract more new generation readers. The books are available in both pdf and e-PUB (electronic publications) formats protected copyright by enforcing digital rights management.
Though e-business contributes just five per cent proportion of total sales from its owned stores, the company so far sees fivefold surge in e-business from early this year.
Sirote said that the company projected to enjoy 10 per cent growth in sales to Bt1 billion from Bt900 million last year. Of that, 90 per cent was resulted by sales at Asia Books and Books and Bookazine stores while the rest from joint management with partnered bookstore chains for English language book zone. Those partners are SEED, B2S and other individual booksellers.
Meanwhile he added that branch expansion remained a key strategy in next-year plan. The company earmarks approximately Bt150 million to add 15 new branches both in Bangkok and upcountry, up from 70 branches now. To cope with decline of consumer’s purchasing power in first half next year due to this year flooding, the company is also focusing on promotion and marketing event organisation throughout next year.
“With these given factors, we strongly believe that we will enjoy 25 per cent growth in sales next year,” managing director said.
