Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings' winter clearance sale kicked off at major stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area on January 18th. Like the summer clearance sale, it began about two weeks later than usual.

At the Isetan Shinjuku store, approximately 4,000 people lined up in both the main building and the men's building before opening. This was almost the same number as on the first day of last year's summer clearance sale, which was delayed. According to a public relations representative for Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, "More customers lined up than we expected. It shows that they were looking forward to the clearance sale."

The winter sale usually takes place on January 2nd, along with the first business day of the year, and is visited by many people returning home from their hometowns and tourists. This year, it was delayed by about two weeks, and because it fell on a weekday, housewives and grandparents with their grandchildren were more prevalent than usual.

Even after 5pm, customer traffic continued to increase, particularly in the women's floors on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the main building and the men's building, and as of 7pm sales had achieved their target figures and are expected to continue to grow. Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store and Ginza Mitsukoshi, flagship stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area, have also exceeded their targets.

While major department stores held their winter bargain sales from January 2nd as usual, only Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings and Lumine have postponed their sales dates.
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings says it will continue to set appropriate sale periods going forward.