Show Ba Department Store

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Show Ba Department Store Ltd.
Native name
小北百貨有限公司
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1994
FounderHuang Bu-wen (黃卜文)
Headquarters
Tainan
,
Taiwan
Number of locations
194 (2025)[1]
Area served
Taiwan
Key people
Huang I-hung (黃義弘), Supervisor; Huang Chien-tang (黃健瑭), General Manager; Chang Shu-bin (張書賓), Deputy General Manager
ProductsHousehold goods, hardware, food & snacks, appliances, stationery, pet supplies, automotive accessories
Websitewww.showba.com.tw

Show Ba Department Store Ltd. (Chinese: 小北百貨有限公司; commonly known as 小北百貨, Show Ba or SHOWBA) is a Taiwanese chain retailer specialized in lifestyle goods, hardware, daily necessities, and general merchandise. It operates a network of stores across Taiwan and offers both brick-and-mortar retail and online shopping services. As of 2025, the company has around 194 stores.[2]

History

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The origins of Show Ba trace back to Huang Bu-wen’s ventures in the mid-1980s. Starting in 1986, Huang ran seafood rechao restaurants in night markets and expanded to five branches.[3] In the early 1990s, facing declining profitability, he shifted to sourcing affordable consumer goods from abroad (including Southeast Asia).[4] In 1994, he invested NT$1,000,000 to establish a general goods store under the name “小北百貨”, adopting a local service orientation.[5]

Early operations were modest: rebar shelves and unfinished cement floors minimized costs so that products could be sold cheaply. After experiencing a theft of goods worth NT$500,000, Huang began to personally watch over the store. One evening, when a customer urgently needed supplies at midnight, he opened the store and discovered the demand for late-night sales, which led to the adoption of 24-hour business at selected locations.[6]

The name “小北” (Xiao Bei, literally “Little North”) comes from the nearby Xiao Bei Night Market (colloquially “小北仔”), and the company’s English name “Show Ba” derives from its Taiwanese pronunciation.[7]

Business model and operations

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Show Ba’s stores function as one-stop lifestyle retail outlets, offering groceries, hardware, personal care, snacks, appliances, toys, and pet goods. Many outlets are open 24 hours a day.[8]

The company also operates the ShowBa Online Shop, providing daily necessities and specialty items through e-commerce.[9]

Show Ba offers a membership mobile app, which integrates shopping points, promotions, and store locator functions.[10]

Philosophy and social commitment

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Founder Huang Bu-wen, who contracted polio as a child, emphasized accessibility, affordability, and community support in his business philosophy. He also established the Show Ba Charity Foundation to contribute to local welfare programs.[11]

In December 2002, the Tainan City Government honored Show Ba as an entrepreneurship role model. At that time, the company reportedly reached NT$150 million in monthly sales.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "門市資訊 ‐ 小北百貨". Show Ba. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  2. ^ 倪譽瑋 (30 April 2024). "193間分店稱霸龍頭！全台最強「小北百貨」30歲了　砸10億宣布大計畫" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). SET News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  3. ^ 蔡立勳 (6 November 2018). "夜市熱炒店變身五金王國的傳奇故事" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Global Views Monthly. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  4. ^ 陳建宇 (17 March 2023). "小北百貨起家厝曝光　租店30年！背後「地主」太大咖" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). ETtoday. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  5. ^ "小北百貨發跡傳奇：從熱炒餐廳到平價雜貨店之王" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). The News Lens. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  6. ^ "熱炒老闆變五金大亨 「台版大創」小北百貨創辦人竟猝逝" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). EBC News. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  7. ^ "不是XiaoBei？小北百貨英文店名「台味十足」 網笑翻：果然台南起家" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). United Daily News. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  8. ^ "全聯、四大超商更方便便宜，小北百貨為何屹立不搖？內行曝1最強優勢：比其他賣場更常去" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). The Storm Media. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  9. ^ "小北百貨線上購物". Show Ba. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  10. ^ "小北百貨 SHOWBA app". Google Play Store. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  11. ^ "寶雅步步進逼　28歲小老闆如何領軍小北百貨抗敵" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Business Today. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  12. ^ 賴禹妡 (30 November 2023). "小北百貨開29年！狂展190間店「最強優勢」曝　眾認：神一般存在" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). NOW News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
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