AEON will hold the grand opening of its flagship store, AEON MALL Makuhari New City, in Mihama Ward, Chiba City on December 20th. The mall will feature 360 specialty stores, including 92 stores with new brands and formats, and 92 stores opening in Chiba City for the first time. The mall is expected to attract 35 million visitors in its first year. A preview was held on the 16th ahead of the opening. Based on the concept of "a place where passion is born," this next-generation shopping mall will be a spectacular addition to any genre. The 192,000-square-meter site will consist of four malls: the Grand Mall, the Pet Mall, the Active Mall, and the Family Mall. Each of the three- to four-story buildings will be connected by a second-floor deck. The Grand Mall will propose an adult lifestyle based on the slogan "play hard, learn hard." The first floor's "Adult Hobby Zone" will feature Tsutaya Bookstore, modeled after Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore, making its Chiba Prefecture debut. Inside the bookstore, shop-in-shops include JTB Travel Gate, which offers travel ideas for adults, and Starbucks Coffee, where you can enjoy coffee with a book. Specialty shops offering daily enrichment include the audio manufacturer Bose Direct Store and Shimamura Music, which offers music lessons and studios. The "Premium Fashion Lifestyle Zone" offers domestic and international fashion apparel, miscellaneous goods, and cafes, proposing sophisticated lifestyles for sophisticated adults. Shops like Patisserie Ginza Sembikiya, Topshop/Topman, Afternoon Tea TEA STAND, and Afternoon Tea Home & Living will be making their Chiba Prefecture debuts. Many new store formats by major apparel brands will open, including SENSE OF PLACE by URBAN RESEARCH, Samantha&chouette gallery, and HARUTA. Additionally, Jun's new brand, LE JUN, will revive and annex the cafe Cafe de Rope La mer. Specialty beauty and cosmetics shops will also be available, including Shu Uemura, Kiehl's, and the cosmetics select shop Cosmeme. The second floor will be home to popular fashion brands such as H&M and MONKI, as well as Scandinavian brands offering high-quality products from around the world, including the Scandinavian goods store SφSTRENE GRENE, which is making its Japan debut. The "Hawaiian Zone," which exudes a tropical resort vibe, will feature the Hawaiian-style cafe "Honolulu Coffee," Hawaiian goods store "Kahiko," and Hawaiian jewelry store "Laulea."

(February 5th will focus on the food and entertainment at Grand Mall.)