Well-known Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite has announced the shuttering of three further stores continuing a series of high-profile closures.

The 30-year-old chain is well known for its unique fusion retail business model as a bookstore, mall and cultural creative platform. Despite having established multiple outlets abroad, the business has struggled in its home territory, prompting six widely publicised closures this year, including its flagship location in Dunnan where it famously traded 24 hours.

The three stores to be closed before the end of the years are situated in Taipei Railway Station, Neihu in Taipei, and a Sogo department store in Taoyuan’s Zhongli.

The firm has stated that the effect on business of Covid-19 is the primary reason for the closure of the predominantly small-scale stores, which collectively contributed to just 3 per cent of the firm’s total earnings.

During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in May, Eslite announced plans to launch in Malaysia.