Tag Archives for " Department Stores "

Nov 02

Takashimaya launches shopping centre specialty chain

The small format chain ambitions of the major department stores are a great opportunity for overseas brands to reach new parts of the country and new customers. Isetan Salone was there first and is very much a high end select shop, but now Takashimaya has come up with its own chain, one designed specifically for […]

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Oct 07

FOCUS: Apparel Retailing FY2014: making the best of it

Apparel retailers entered FY2014 with a good deal of worry about just how long consumers would stay away from stores after splurging before the consumption tax increase. The good news was that for many the second half of the year was positive, and by the end of the year, losses had been recouped. As a […]

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Oct 07

Mitsukoshi Ginza ¥4 billion relaunch

Mitsukoshi Ginza will have a grand opening ceremony in mid-October to celebrate a further ¥4 billion remodelling designed to keep the store competitive with its neighbours and attract even more tourists.   The key features of Mitsukoshi’s updated Ginza store include more Japanese brands, as well as more celebration of Japanese culture and services. A […]

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Sep 14

FOCUS: Department Stores FY2014: over the hurdle

After sales at department stores rose for the first time in 16 years in FY2013, most forecasts suggested those gains would be wiped out by the collapse in spending post-tax hike. This didn’t happen for most major stores in most big cities, even while regional stores continued their decline. The surge in tourism helped, but […]

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Sep 14

Daimaru Shinsaibashi to be rebuilt

Daimaru Shinsaibashi is to be closed and completely rebuilt over a three year period. The iconic Osaka store has suffered less than some of its rivals in the face of the big increase in department store sales space since 2011, but the building is ancient by Japanese standards and increasingly unsuitable for modern retailing. J […]

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Jun 14

H2O to invest ¥60 bn through 2017

H2O is a powerhouse in Kansai and its investment programme for the next decade looks set to confirm its dominance in key cities from Osaka down to Fukuoka in Kyushu. H2O Retailing continues to cement its position as one of the leading retailers in Kansai and Kyushu through selective investments in new retail facilities, upgrades […]

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May 15

J Front acquires stake in Senshukai to build omnichannel platform

Omnichannel retailing seems to be the holy grail for retailing these days. Seven & I catalysed the strategy when it bought Nissen, aiming to make it the centre of an omnichannel retail empire, and many other major retailers are looking to incorporate e-commerce as part of a multi-channel strategy too. Now J Front has followed […]

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May 15

Isetan opens first Salone, plans 10 stores by 2018

Small format retailing is Isetan-Mitsukoshi’s way out of the strictures of the department store market. Until now its boutiques have been in airports and outlet malls. Last month it opened Isetan Salone, the first in a chain of at least 10 upscale select shops. It also opened more middle market stores in Osaka that could […]

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Apr 15

H2O and Takashimaya claim deeper collaboration

H2O Retailing and Takashimaya have been flirting for years but have never got together. The two department stores now claim they will deepen collaboration, yet at the same time reducing their respective equity holdings in each other. The two firms were never a good match, and the latest announcement suggests a still minimal level of […]

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Apr 15

Seven & I ties with Jean Paul Gaultier

Seven & I has been busy recently. As well as launching a new home fashion chain (see page 7) and making Barney’s Japan a full subsidiary, it has found time to negotiate a deal with Jean Paul Gaultier for a new apparel line to be sold through both Sogo Seibu and Ito-Yokado. After so many […]

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Feb 15

Seven & I saved by record profits at Seven Eleven – again

Seven Eleven has long propped up its sister companies in Seven & I Holdings, but the situation is getting worse rather than better. While the convenience store posted another record profit for the first nine months of FY2014, Ito-Yokado and Nissen, both important for the group‘s omnichannel strategy, suffered major dips in performance yet again. […]

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Feb 15

Isetan-Mitsukoshi: the premium services business

The pace of innovation at Isetan-Mitsukoshi recently has been unprecedented but it looks like being just the start. As well as small format stores, it is looking to grab a slice of the premium end of some lucrative service industries too, in weddings, travel and healthcare. It plans to open travel stores and ‘health care […]

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Jan 15

Isetan-Mitsukoshi opens highway service area stores

It is telling when Japan’s once most exclusive department store chain lends its name to a shop in a highway service area. Not a sign of decline, but rather a testament to Isetan-Mitsukoshi’s renewed vigour, and its determination to bring its products to its customers wherever they are. Isetan-Mitsukoshi’s ambitions to expand its smaller store […]

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Jan 15

Takashimaya introduces direct to airport delivery for duty-free

Tourist shopping is now an increasingly important market for many retailers from high end to low end. Last month Takashimaya added a delivery-to-airport service to encourage tourists to get more shopping done throughout their trip rather than just near the end of their visit. The chain is even offering the service in more remote stores. […]

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Dec 15

Try before you buy e-commerce launches with Matsuya as partner

A new app is helping retailers link customers with online shopping options, benefiting both the e-commerce operator and retailer alike, while helping customers try before they buy in a convenient location. Matsuya Ginza launched a revamped online store last month, making it possible to not only order product sold in the Ginza store, but also […]

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Nov 15

Takashimaya Tamagawa: another refit

Takashimaya Tamagawa has been one of the most successful department stores over the last two decades, and continues to hold its own despite a wealth of new competition in the area around Futako Tamagawa. It continues to update its sales floors, introducing new tenants and directly managed space to keep the locals keen. No wonder […]

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Nov 15

Isetan-Mitsukoshi to expand import brand business

As part of its diversification drive, Isetan-Mitsukoshi plans to turn its small import business, Club 21 Japan, into a significant player in overseas brand distribution. This will feed both its own department store sales floors, as well as its up coming select shop chain. At the same time the influence of Isetan Shinjuku in fashion […]

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