“Taiwanese department stores boost New Year's prize bags”

Taiwanese department stores boost New Year's prize bags

Posted: 23 Jan 2011 07:53 PM PST

With Taiwanese department stores raking in handsome profits last year, they are expected to boost draw prizes offered to New Year's customers.

Already, three department stores have announced they will give away cars, and some will offer expensive jewelry, smartphones and notebook computers.

Hanshin Department Store, the king of retail in Kaohsiung, is offering "fortune bags" for an additional NT$100 for those who have amassed ten reward points through previous shopping. Contents of each bag include an NT$100 voucher, NT$10 commemorative coins for the Republic of China's centennial anniversary, and a chance to win prizes in a drawing.

The chain's two stores will each give away a car as the top prize, with one of them giving out a Mitsubishi Cold Plus worth NT$539,000 (US$18,600), and the other giving out a Tobe M'car worth NT$409,000 (US$14,000).

Meanwhile, SOGO department store's Taipei branch will offer 25,000 fortune bags on Lunar New Year's Day on February 3 and hold a drawing, with the top prize being an NT$860,000(US$29,700) Luxgen, the most expensive vehicle to be given away by department stores this year.

This year, the Living Mall is offering fortune-bag purchasing online. The 250 it posted online February 19 all sold out. More than 800 of the 1,250 bags posted on February 22 have already been sold. Including the 1,500 bags to be offered on Lunar New Year's Eve, the mall is this year offering a total of 3,000 NT$1,000 bags, each containing gifts worth well over NT$1,000. The mall is also giving a chance to walk away with the top prize of a Mitsubishi car worth NT$539,000.

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Taiwan's largest department store chain, meanwhile will sell 7,500 canvas exterior fortune bags starting on New Year's Day for NT$1,000 apiece. Draw prizes include rings, jewelry, 3D TVs and round-trip tickets to destinations in Asia, with monetary value ranging from a few thousand dollars to NT$439,000 (US$15,000).

Some department stores meanwhile are targeting bargain hunters. Dayeh Takashimaya, for example, is offering 6,500 bags sold at 10 percent of the total value contained in each bag. Agnes B is offering NT$1,000 bags with contents worth more than NT$10,000 (US$345). Some bedroom furniture sellers are also offering bags worth NT$20,000 (US$690) yet sold at a discount of 71 per cent.

Q Square will offer 399 "smart fortune bags", each worth NT$999. Contents include the iPad, Asus notebooks and LCD TVs. Drawing prizes include various popular merchandise as well as a night stay at the Radium Kagaya for two, worth NT$26,400 (US$910).

Uni-President Hankyu will offer 500 bags this year, some of them being what it calls "experience-based bags". For example, it will offer one "gourmet food bag", giving the winner the chance to dine at all restaurants at the mall accompanied by two gourmet assistants. There will also be three "professional fashion bags" as well as two bags allowing the winners to dine at Starbucks all days throughout the year.

SOGO meanwhile is also offering experience-based bags, including 100 that allow the winners to purchase more than NT$10,000 worth of clothes as well as getting hairdos, all accompanied by famous designer Lee Yu-chun.

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