Luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana has opened a new D&G Osaka store. The two-level, 905sqm #DGLovesOsaka boutique at Midosuji is designed to reflect the unique local features of Osaka while still representing the brand’s heritage, with red marble and pink onyx finishings touched off by pink rugs and wallpaper. A large baroque-styled mirror is a centrepiece of the decor.
The #DGLovesOsaka boutique stocks ready-to-wear collections and accessories for men, women, and children.
The first non-stop flights from Da Nang to Japan will begin on 28 October, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has confirmed. The airline will use an Airbus A321 with services meeting 4-star standards to cover the 2,114 miles (3,403 kilometers) from Da Nang to Japan’s Osaka City, with flights taking around four and a half-hour.
The airline will operate 7 return flights each week. The non-stop flights will depart from Da Nang at 00:20 am, and from Osaka at 09:30 am local time. This will be the 11th air route to Japan operated by the Vietnam Airlines after those from Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang to Japanese cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Quynh – Executive Vice Chairman of Danang Hotel Association, Deputy General Director of Furama Resort Danang, opined: “The Japan market recently makes up 10% of Danang tourism industry and continue to increase strongly. Thanks to this new direct air-route that we will have more opportunity to attract this potential market, as well as introduces the “fantastic-city” of Danang to Japan. We need to take advantage of this chance by providing more Japan-friendly services, promoting our venue as not only Leisure but also an ideal MICE destination. Danang tourism colleges and Hotels in Danang should provide more Japanese language training to their tour guides and staff to welcome more and more tourists from Japan to the City.”
As reported, from 2011 – 2017, the number of visitors from Japan had increased 18 times, especially, 2016 – 2017 period eyes a rise of 23,000 tourists. Not only Japan market, overview the snapshot of Danang tourism, air travelers to Da Nang increased 40% over the same period last year. The number of international visitors to Da Nang is concentrated mainly in North East Asia (Korea, China, Japan) through direct flights to Da Nang. The number of international flights this year at Da Nang International Airport is 183, an increase of 76 flights over the same period of 2017.
Ikea Japan says it plans to expand its store network into city centres after the success of its large-format stores in outskirt locations.
Ikea Japan K.K. president Helene von Reis said in an interview that the company will open “many shops in Tokyo” given the city’s size.
“Then we will move into Osaka. We have to start first and understand how this works in Tokyo.”
She had earlier said during a press briefing that Ikea Japan was working hard to find the right sites in Tokyo. “Hopefully I will be able to give you some good news before this year is over.”
Ikea Japan’s strategy to head downtown is a contrast to its European experience where it has decided to close smaller city stores after an unsuccessful trial.
Von Reis said the company recognised customer preferences are changing.
“Consumers are demanding accessibility and the value of time. It is also a fact that young people don’t have cars. That’s also a global [phenomenon].”
She said the company believes there is a lot of growth potential for the home furnishings market in Japan.
Japanese anti-brand retailer Muji has opened a massive 4300sqm store in Osaka featuring its first dedicated fresh department.
While the company has offered dried foods, snacks and other foods since it was founded in 1980, and even shelf-stable vegetables in some stores, this is the first time it has ventured into chilled, fresh meat and produce.
The Muji fresh store is the brand’s largest globally and five times the typical Japanese footprint. About 50 per cent of it is dedicated to food and it also features a Cafe & Meal Muji eating place.
Kei Suzuki, director and executive officer of Muji parent Ryohin Keikaku, told Inside Retail Asia that once refined the company will look to roll out the concept in other markets.
“At first we have to see what is going to happen in Japan, but I believe the Muji customer … is keen to have a good fresh product,” said Suzuki, who was one of the leading speakers at yesterday’s MarketingPulse conference, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
Suzuki said Muji customers are in tune with freshness, sustainability, supporting local farmers and suppliers – and they want quality. He is confident the Osaka concept store will win over customers.
“Once we see that we are successful then … I also want to try it here in the future. But it has not been decided yet.”
Photos released by Muji show fresh meats, fish, vegetables and perishable goods on display in a bright, airy retail space. Minimalist design and displays made from natural materials are in keeping with the company’s market positioning.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Ryohin Keikaku chairman Masaaki Kanai told local media Muji was committed to expanding its selection of local food products.
“We want to become a part of the community.”
One of the reported rationales behind Muji fresh is to entice customers to visit more often. Food is a more frequent purchase than stationery or household items, for example.
Molteni&C has officially opened its new Japan flagship store in Osaka.
Covering 400 square metres, the space is located in the fashionable Shinshaibashi shopping district. The high-end store comes inspired by western interior design, with an open feel, which features a broad terrace and chic lighting.
Describing the store fit out, the Italian brand said the new boutiques boasts “sophisticated and natural materials, such as glass, oxidized wood and resin, Grès stone, the chiaroscuri of the sands and the warm greys alternate with luminous touches of colour.”
Key elements on display are the latest Molteni&C collection and Dada’s VVD kitchen, which dominates the large terrace overlooking the main street.
The Osaka store is the second in Japan after the first opened in Tokyo in 2016.
The luxury Italian furniture designer continues its ten-year partnership with Arflex Japan, a well-established distribution company in the Asian nation.
Japan’s Porter Stand has opened up a temporary store in Osaka. The new Porter Stand pop-up will open for a limited-time at the Hankyu Umeda head office in Osaka. It is the first time the brand will open a store in the western Japan area.
Inside the new pop-up shop, customers will find Porter Stand’s classic series, including original items and collaborative pieces including the Orgabits × Porter Tote Bag, co-designed with organic cotton brand Orgabits.
The shop also stocks limited-edition items in the form of bags, wallets and pouches. Inside the store, the colourway is minimal and woody. Trunk type fixtures are placed around counters, matching the retailer’s concept of being a porter stand or “a baggage check room where many bags gather,” as per the brand’s website.
Porter Stand is also located in Tokyo Station and Shinagawa Station, one of the busiest transportation hubs in Tokyo.
Earlier in the year, the retailer took its concept to Paris in January, opening its ‘Trunk Store’ pop-up inside the Bows & Arrows store in the Marais area of the French capital.
Owned by Yoshida & Co., a Japanese manufacturer of bags and accessories since 1935, Porter Stand sells the firm’s Made In Japan accessories line Porter and Porter Girl, as well as the Luggage Label line.
The Porter Stand Osaka store will run from June 14 to 20.
Yahoo Japan has selected Infinera Cloud Xpress to interconnect its data centers in Osaka. The Cloud Xpress enables Yahoo Japan to interconnect data centers with hyper-scale density, operational simplicity and low power consumption.
Working closely with Infinera partner Itochu Techno-Solutions, Yahoo Japan deployed the Infinera Cloud Xpress to address the need for more capacity. Itochu Techno-Solutions provides Yahoo Japan with IT and data center maintenance services. Yahoo Japan has now deployed the Cloud Xpress and Infinera XTM Series in its metro networks.
With the Cloud Xpress, Yahoo Japan benefits from Infinera’s photonic integrated circuit technology which delivers a 500 Gbps super-channel over 150 kilometers without additional multiplexers and amplifiers.
The Cloud Xpress incorporates Infinera’s Instant Bandwidth technology to allow customers to software-activate line-side bandwidth in 100 Gbps increments as and when needed.
In addition, the Cloud Xpress is designed for plug-and-play installation with simplified provisioning and support for data center automation using open SDN APIs.
“The compact design, ease of use and scalability of Cloud Xpress and the XTM Series stand out in metro data center interconnect applications where data center operators need to grow capacity rapidly while minimizing the cost of space and power,” Infinera VP of regional sales for APAC Andrew Bond-Webster said.
The Infinera Cloud Xpress Family is designed to deliver cloud-optimized wavelength division multiplexing solutions to cloud service providers, internet content providers, Internet Exchange service providers, enterprises and other large-scale data center operators.
The Cloud Xpress Family offers customers the choice of 10 GbE, 40 GbE and 100 GbE client interfaces to meet their specific requirements. Infinera recently introduced the Cloud Xpress 2 based on the Infinite Capacity Engine, scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2017.
Low-cost, long-haul Malaysian carrier AirAsia X is beginning its maiden U.S. service with introductory one-way fares starting at $99 from Honolulu to Osaka and $149 for continuing service to Kuala Lumpur.
The return leg from Osaka to Honolulu is an introductory $162.36 while flying from Kuala Lumper to Honolulu, with a layover in Osaka, is $198.02 one way.
Round trips would be as low as $261.36 and $347.02, respectively.
The airline will operate its Kuala Lumpur-Osaka-Honolulu route four times a week beginning June 28.
Hawaiian, Japan and Delta airlines also fly between Honolulu and Osaka. During the late June time period, their round-trip prices start in the low $600s to the mid-$800s. Prices are more expensive if booked one way.
“This is the game-changing route we have all been waiting for,” Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia X Group CEO, said today in a statement. “By connecting the U.S to North Asia and Asean with our world-class low fares offering, we will make it possible for those in the Pacific to explore Asia through our wide network.”
This will be the first route linking Honolulu with Malaysia. Guests transiting in Osaka do not require a Japanese visa during the two-hour stopover, and can return to their seats on the flight after clearing security with any carry-on luggage or belongings.
The introductory fares are available for travel from June 28 to Feb. 6. Flights depart Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The Malaysian carrier, which has been operating since 2007, will use 377-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the Malaysia-Osaka-Honolulu route.
AirAsia X serves 22 cities in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the Middle East with a fleet of 30 A330s.
French fashion maison Balenciaga has opened a new pop-up store in Osaka, adding to the five standalone boutiques already retailing in the Japanese city.
The Parisian label has its sights set on pushing its newest ‘it’ handbag – the Bazar Shopping Bag – onto the Japanese clientele.
The new Osaka pop-up shop will house the original Bazar Shopping from the latest collection, as well as holiday and resort versions. Also for sale are pouch and wallet versions of the bag.
The colourful tote bag, designed by Demna Gsvalia, featured in Balenciaga’s Autumn/Winter 2016 collection. The Bazar Shopping Bag — already a hit with fashionistas such as Pernille Teisbaek, the co-founder and creative director at Social Zoo Direct — is part of Gvsalia’s first accessory line since taking the helm of Balenciaga this year.
Despite being compared to a heavy-duty laundrette carryall, the Balenciaga accessory retails for a whopping £975 per unit and has been hailed a best-seller on major fashion e-platforms Net-a-Porter and MatchesFashion.com.
Balenciaga is known for ‘it’ bags, since the Arena handbag, designed by Nicholas Ghesquire over ten years ago.
The pop-up shop is located within a portion of the Hankyu department store in Osaka. It is open from now until the end of December.
Japanese duty-free retailer Laox has opened its eighth store in Dragon Gate Building, Osaka.
Called “Laox Osaka Dotonbori Ebisubashi Store”, the exterior of the first floor and second floor is covered with glass, making this a street-level store with a characteristic design that attracts the attention of passersby.
The store specialises in personal items such as cosmetics, hair and beauty products, and home electronics, as well as Japanese-made watches, highly popular outside Japan, and collectibles such as figurines.
Aiming to appeal to a broad international customer base, the store is located on the popular ‘Dotonbori’ nightlife and retail precinct.
As well as opening a Blancpain Osaka shop-in-shop, the Swiss watchmaker has a new flagship boutique on one of Hong Kong’s busiest streets.
Blancpain’s new Japanese concession is inside the Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store, on its seventh-floor luxury-watch outlet area, which has just been remodelled. Crafted by a Swiss cabinetmaker, the interior design of the Blancpain outlet features woodwork and mouldings along with streamlined furniture and displays.
Visitors can see such Blancpain masterpieces as the Carrousel Volant Une Minute, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe and the Ladybird.
Founded in 1735, Blancpain develops its components and tools in house, with a single watchmaker manually assembling each movement.
Sanrio, the global lifestyle brand best known for beloved pop icon Hello Kitty, and Universal Parks & Resorts have announced their partnership to develop Hello Kitty interactive retail experiences
scheduled to open later this year at Universal Orlando Resort and in the future at Universal Studios Hollywood.
This will mark Hello Kitty‘s official retail debut at theme parks in North America and offer specialty merchandise including stationery, home goods, apparel, accessories and collectibles. The majority of merchandise will be devoted to Hello Kitty; Sanrio properties Chococat®, My Melody®, Badtz-Maru®, Purin™ and Keroppi® will also have a presence. Hello Kitty confectionery and specialty co-branded Hello Kitty Universal park-exclusive products will also be available.
The Hello Kitty stores at Universal Studios will also offer enhanced interactive retail experiences. Customers can shop for custom designed merchandise, enjoy photo opportunities with Sanrio properties, create souvenir versions of Hello Kitty‘s signature bow, and even meet Hello Kitty herself.
“Our partnership with Universal brings Sanrio’s experiential entertainment presence to a new level,” said Janet Hsu, President and COO of Sanrio, Inc. “We look forward to this introduction into Universal theme parks to offer new connection points to Sanrio fans of all ages.”
Sanrio’s partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts highlights the brand’s continued expansion into lifestyle entertainment. Recent projects include the successfully unprecedented ‘Hello Kitty Con’ fan convention and ‘Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty’, a record-breaking museum exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Hello Kitty’s Supercute Friendship Festival, a live entertainment show and interactive fan festival that has reinvented the concept of a live character show, is currently touring select cities in the U.S. and Canada. Sanrio’s unique approach to lifestyle entertainment has proven to be a highly effective way of connecting with their legions of fans of all ages across the country.
About Sanrio
Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for pop icon Hello Kitty, who recently celebrated her 40th Anniversary. Home to many endearing characters including Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru and Keroppi, Sanrio was founded on the ‘small gift, big smile’ philosophy – that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages. Since 1960, this philosophy has served as the inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique products and experiences. Today, more than 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are available in over 130 countries and upwards of 15,000 U.S. retail locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 80 Sanrio boutiques. For more information please visit www.sanrio.com and www.facebook.com/hellokitty.
About Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Parks & Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe today’s most relevant and popular entertainment experiences. With three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg as creative consultant, its theme parks are known for immersive experiences that feature some of the world’s most thrilling and technologically advanced film- and television-based attractions. Comcast NBCUniversal is a global media and technology company that owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news, sports and entertainment networks; Universal Pictures, a premier motion picture company; significant television production operations; a leading television stations group; and world-renowned theme parks.
Comcast NBCUniversal wholly owns Universal Studios Hollywood, which includes Universal CityWalk Hollywood. It also owns Universal Orlando Resort, a world-class destination resort featuring two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure), four resort hotels, and Universal CityWalk Orlando. Comcast NBCUniversal also has license agreements with Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan and Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. In addition, Comcast NBCUniversal has recently announced plans for a theme park in Beijing and an indoor theme park to be developed as part of the Galactica Park project in Moscow.
Burberry has opened its first freestanding store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.
Set over two floors, the new flagship store houses the largest Burberry product assortment in Osaka, including the brand’s collection of Made in England trench coats.
In-store digital screens showcase Burberry content and broadcast live events directly from the brand’s global headquarters in London, enabled by the Burberry retail theatre concept.
The store showcases the Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London, Burberry Brit, Heritage, Accessories and Burberry Osaka Exclusive Collections and stocks womenswear, menswear, accessories, eyewear and watches.
To celebrate the opening, an exclusive range of men’s and women’s accessories was designed just for the Burberry Osaka store. This collection includes limited edition versions of key Burberry bag styles – The Mini Bee bag and The Petal bag for women.
Burberry has a long-term commitment to Japan where it currently has four mainline stores and 13 concessions in locations including Omotesando, Kobe, Ginza Marronnier Dori and Roppongi.
Burberry says it is beginning “a new chapter in Japan” in 2015. From June, the brand’s licensed products will be replaced with the Burberry global product offering including its British made heritage trench coats manufactured at its facilities in Yorkshire in the North of England and its scarves made in Scotland.
Osaka department stores are reporting three times the usual duty free sales to foreigners over Lunar New Year.
Chinese shoppers may be curtailing spending at home, but they’re still splurging when they travel – as they are doing in increasing numbers within Asia.
An executive from the Osaka Takashimaya department stores said duty-free sales in the week to Tuesday, when Lunar New Year ended, were 3.5 times the rate of last year.
More and more Chinese took their holidays in Osaka this year due to a boost in the number of flights by budget carriers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The most popular items purchased were Hello Kitty merchandise, especially stationery, Japanese whisky and confectionery.
At the Kintetsu Department Store Co’s flagship in Abeno Hurakas, Japan’s tallest building, duty-free sales quintupled. There, cosmetics were the most popular category.
Other department stores reported sales increases of four to four point five times.