Society

More than a dozen stores close in Tokyo's high-end Ginza Six mall

Jan 21 (Japan Today) - More than a dozen stores closed in Tokyo's high-end Ginza Six mall this week as the coronavirus pandemic kept big-spending foreign tourists and other luxury shoppers away from an upscale shopping district famous for brand-name boutiques.

Until the pandemic closed Japan off to most foreign visitors last year, the retail complex, which opened in 2017 with around 240 stores, was a symbol of Ginza's revival as a popular destination for tourists, especially those from China descending on stores by the busload.

Ginza Six said on Wednesday that around 15 stores, including Italian fashion house Moschino, cosmetics brands Shiseido and Shu Uemura, as well as Salon des Parfums selling Annick Goutal and other fragrance brands, have shut in the past few days.

Ginza Six has catered heavily to foreign visitors, with a large service centre offering tax refund processing and luggage storage in addition to a dedicated bus bay.

Global travel bans have kept foreign visitor numbers at 1-2% of year-ago levels since last April, according to data from JTB Tourism & Consulting.

Department stores in central Tokyo, heavily dependent on tourists in the past several years, have been hit particularly hard. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings' same-store sales fell more than 30% in 2020, with sales for its Mitsukoshi Ginza store down over 50%.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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