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▼ Nihonbashi Dept Store Wars to Grow Fiercer With New Openings
- Category:Shopping
Two long-established Japanese department store firms are scheduled to open newly refurbished stores in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district this autumn in an attempt to develop a wider customer base in light of the aging of customers.
Takashimaya Co. will open on Tuesday a shopping mall-type annex next to its existing store in the district. Eating establishments will account for 40 percent of tenants at the new store. Meanwhile, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. is set to complete the initial phase of its first large-scale renovation to its Mitsukoshi main store in Nihonbashi in 14 years, and fully open the store on Oct. 24.
Takashimaya’s annex, unveiled to the media on Friday, has seven stories above ground and one underground, housing about 110 restaurants, clothing and variety stores, among other shops.
Takashimaya President Shigeru Kimoto said Friday: “We integrated a department store with specialty stores. It’s the culmination [of our policy] of meeting the needs of today’s customer.”
Food is the biggest attraction at Takashimaya’s new facility. Some eating establishments in the annex will even open early in the morning and late at night.
With a series of redevelopment projects under way for high-rise condominiums and offices in the area around Nihonbashi, the department store firm is targeting specific groups of people — including company employees in their 30s and 40s and families — who visit the store looking for good food.
Takashimaya also intends to expand its main customer base beyond what Kimoto says is currently people in their 50s and older, including by introducing experience-based stores such as yoga studios that are popular among young women.
Takashimaya Co. will open on Tuesday a shopping mall-type annex next to its existing store in the district. Eating establishments will account for 40 percent of tenants at the new store. Meanwhile, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. is set to complete the initial phase of its first large-scale renovation to its Mitsukoshi main store in Nihonbashi in 14 years, and fully open the store on Oct. 24.
Takashimaya’s annex, unveiled to the media on Friday, has seven stories above ground and one underground, housing about 110 restaurants, clothing and variety stores, among other shops.
Takashimaya President Shigeru Kimoto said Friday: “We integrated a department store with specialty stores. It’s the culmination [of our policy] of meeting the needs of today’s customer.”
Food is the biggest attraction at Takashimaya’s new facility. Some eating establishments in the annex will even open early in the morning and late at night.
With a series of redevelopment projects under way for high-rise condominiums and offices in the area around Nihonbashi, the department store firm is targeting specific groups of people — including company employees in their 30s and 40s and families — who visit the store looking for good food.
Takashimaya also intends to expand its main customer base beyond what Kimoto says is currently people in their 50s and older, including by introducing experience-based stores such as yoga studios that are popular among young women.
Meanwhile, at Mitsukoshi’s main store about 500 meters from the Takashimaya store, sections that have been closed for renovation will reopen on Oct. 24 with the completion of the first stage of a major refurbishment project.
A new concierge service introduced in line with the reopening will be the store’s main new attraction. In addition to regular sales staff, about 90 special staff will provide the service in seven fields including food, and women’s and men’s clothes.
In an effort to strengthen ties with wealthy repeat customers, the store will share data on customers’ tastes and purchasing histories with concierge staff and other employees and suggest to customers products that meet their preferences.
Customers can designate a specific concierge before visiting the store using a smartphone app — a service intended to attract members of the younger generation who more actively use smartphones.
In the department store industry, duty-free goods for foreign visitors have been selling well mainly in urban areas, but sales to domestic customers have largely been on the decline.
However, the percentage of sales to foreign visitors has been relatively low at both the Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi stores in Nihonbashi, and overall sales have remained flat.
A new concierge service introduced in line with the reopening will be the store’s main new attraction. In addition to regular sales staff, about 90 special staff will provide the service in seven fields including food, and women’s and men’s clothes.
In an effort to strengthen ties with wealthy repeat customers, the store will share data on customers’ tastes and purchasing histories with concierge staff and other employees and suggest to customers products that meet their preferences.
Customers can designate a specific concierge before visiting the store using a smartphone app — a service intended to attract members of the younger generation who more actively use smartphones.
In the department store industry, duty-free goods for foreign visitors have been selling well mainly in urban areas, but sales to domestic customers have largely been on the decline.
However, the percentage of sales to foreign visitors has been relatively low at both the Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi stores in Nihonbashi, and overall sales have remained flat.
- September 24, 2018
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