《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taitung township last one without convenience store

By William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNA

Following the opening of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Tainan’s Zuojhen District （左鎮） on Thursday, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township （金峰） became the last township in Taiwan without a convenience store.

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A convenience chain might eventually open a store in the township, but local residents are concerned about how that would affect locally owned shops, Jinfeng Township Mayor Chiang Cheng-kuang （蔣爭光） said.

The county’s other remote areas, including Green Island （綠島）, Orchid Island （Lanyu, 蘭嶼） and Haiduan Township （海端） deep in the county’s inland mountains near the border with Kaohsiung, all have convenience stores.

The small indigenous community in Yanping Township （延平） saw the opening of a 7-Eleven store just before the Lunar New Year holiday this year.

Jinfeng has been a holdout, and an attempt to operate a 7-Eleven vending machine there has failed.

“Jinfeng depends a lot on its small grocers. You can find anything at those stores, including fresh produce, and many residents are worried the grocers would go bankrupt if a convenience store were to open,” Chiang said.

Still, some township residents are looking forward to the arrival of a convenience store, he said, adding that more optimistic residents believe that local grocers and convenience stores can coexist and stimulate economic growth together.

Acceptance is on the rise and a potential location for a convenience store has already been chosen,” he said.

Jinfeng comprises five villages, all of which except Jialan Village （嘉蘭） are within five minutes’ drive of the county’s Taimali Township （太麻里）.

“Taimali has a 7-Eleven store, so right now most Jinfeng residents who want to visit a convenience store go there,” one resident surnamed Chen （陳） said. “Jialan has a small population, and there are already grocers there, and other facilities like ATMs.”

Another resident surnamed Gu （古） said: “The local grocers know me, and they sell me things on credit. Is that something 7-Eleven can do?”

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES