Metrobooks Hong Kong plans to open as many as 10 more stores in the territory, undeterred by the demise of rival retail booksellers.
The company opens its fourth store in Hong Kong this Friday – on the 9th floor of Times Square. The 465 sqm store is split into two: Metrobooks offers lifestyle books and quality stationery to sophisticated professionals and MetroKids by Metrobooks targets young families and expatriates.
Metrobooks’ parent, National Book Store Inc of the Philippines, chose Hong Kong as its first overseas location back in 2007 and has steadily expanded in the territory during the last few years.
“NBS strongly believes in the retail market in Hong Kong and targets to open five to 10 more stores in the coming years,” a spokesman told Inside Retail Hong Kong.
Besides books, Metrobooks offers a wide range of unique stationery items sourced from Japan and the US.
Included in the Times Square store is an exclusive range from Itoya – the long established Japanese stationery shop. The first store of Itoya opened in 1904 in Ginza, Tokyo. Now Itoya has evolved into the leading stationery store in Japan, with the 12-storey flagship store in Ginza, 18 branches and one overseas store in San Francisco.
The MetroKids by Metrobooks is the largest and most specialised English language children’s bookstore in Hong Kong, comprising 280 sqm of space split into three zones – Parenting & Early Learning; Intermediate and Young Adult, with more than 7000 items including books, stationery, art & craft, toys and gifts.
Besides the best-selling series from well-known publishers like Scholastic, Oxford Reading Tree, Jolly Phonics and Usborne, and stationery brands like Tombow and Stabilo, Metrobooks says it aims to source innovative collections and emerging brands from around the world.
Among the unique offer in the MetroKids by Metrobooks shop is a range from International Arrivals, a stationery brand from the US with fun, functional and easy-to-use crafting and creation tools inspiring children to express themselves with their imagination with creativity.
NBS is the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines, with over 180 stores nationwide.
In Hong Kong it has stores at Times Square, in Elements Mall and K11 in Tsim Sha Tsui, and at Mikki in Kowloon.
