The 21-year-old Neo19 shopping complex located In Taipei's Xinyi district was rumored to have closed on New Year's Day because the landlord Hongtai Construction did not renew the rental contract! Experts believe that due to the pandemic's impact in recent years, retail businesses have performed poorly but landlords are not willing to lower rents or renew contracts.
Standing in Taipei's Xinyi business district, the 21-year-old Neo19 complex has been rumored to be closed on New Year's Day this year. Not only does Google Maps show that it is permanently closed, but even the sign has been quietly removed from the shelves!
Citizen: “There are actually many department stores in the entire Xinyi business district. I think the lack of Neo19 will not affect shoppers' needs. ”
Citizen: “It is one of the early landmark buildings in eastern Taipei. It should be a memory for many of us in our generation when we were young.”
Many people felt their youth memories have gone into the history books. Looking back at Neo19, which was founded in 2001, it is a shopping complex that focuses on themed restaurants, fitness, and entertainment, adopting a shop-in-shop business model. It was reported that the landlord, Hongtai Construction, did not renew the contract, causing Neo19 to turn off its lights! Neo19 also issued a thank you statement on its official website confirming that it has withdrawn from the Xinyi commercial district on New Year's Day 2023 as its lease was not renewed. Experts believe that Taipei's Xinyi business district may be reshuffled!
Huang Shu-wei, Director, Owner's Representative Service, Colliers: “We can't rule out that some retail spaces that have poor utilization efficiency will be transformed into a so-called commercial office or shared office in the future. ”
The lack of connecting bridges and the inability to connect people will probably become the test for the next operator to improve Neo19's original location. The building owner will also choose well-known brands carefully to maximize and benefit the operating base.
佇立台北信義商圈，已有21年歷史的Neo19複合式商場，驚傳從今年元旦起停業，不只Google地圖顯示永久停業，就連招牌也早已悄悄下架。
民眾回應：「信義區整個商圈其實滿多百貨，我覺得少了Neo19也不會影響到其他購物需求。」
也有民眾表示：「因為它算滿早的一個，在東區的一個代表性的建築物，應該是很多我們這一代的年輕人的回憶。」
許多民眾感慨，年輕的回憶就此走入歷史。回顧2001年創立的Neo19，主打主題餐廳和健身娛樂為訴求的主題，為複合式商場，採取店中店的經營模式。不過，傳出房東宏泰建設不再續約，使得Neo19不得不吹起熄燈號。Neo19也在官網發聲明證實，在未能續租的狀況下，從2023元旦起退出信義商圈，感謝大家支持。對此專家認為，台北信義商圈恐怕得跟著重新洗牌。
高力國際業主代表服務部董事黃舒衛認為：「不排除有部分使用效益比較差的零售空間，未來會轉作所謂的商辦使用，或者是所謂的共享辦公室的這個主題來做設計，作為這個未來的這個過渡方式。」
如何改善Neo19原有地點沒有連通橋和人流無法串連的缺點，恐怕將成為下個承租業者的考驗。而房東也會慎選品牌效益高的廠商進駐，才能發揮絕佳營運據點的最大效益。