Mitsukoshi Ginza, currently undergoing its first major renovation since its expansion and remodeling in September 2010, has announced details of its grand opening on October 14th. The remodeling, based on the concept of "the latest global department store," will begin with the prestige jewelry floor on the first floor of the new building, which opened on August 12th. The opening schedule is as follows: September 9th: women's accessories and handbags (1st floor); September 16th: cosmetics (B1); women's shoes, leg fashion (2nd floor); watches (M2); women's clothing/TOKYO MODE (3rd floor); September 23rd: women's clothing/INTERNATIONAL MODE (4th floor); October 30th: women's clothing/GINZA MODE (M5th floor); October 7th: men's clothing and accessories (5th floor); and October 14th: men's clothing and accessories (6th floor), living, kimono, gift, bridal, and event venue (7th floor).
Following the grand opening, a new airport-style downtown duty-free store will open later this year, occupying the entire 8th floor covering an area of 3,300 square meters. In advance of this, on September 2nd, as part of the "world's best hospitality" initiative, a new "overseas customer service counter" was opened on the 1st basement floor. This is a response to the "globalization of sales services," which is an important objective of this remodeling, and in addition to the existing services for overseas customers, it has been equipped with an overseas shipping counter, communication support such as SIM card sales, and a rest area. In addition, the number of dedicated attendant staff and interpreters has been increased throughout the building, expanding the number of dedicated foreign language support staff to 50. Foreign language support will be strengthened by utilizing interpreter support tools, and a Wi-Fi environment similar to that of an airport will also be installed throughout the building.
In addition, a new "Guest Lounge for Overseas Customers" will open on the 13th floor in early February next year to provide comfortable shopping support to foreign customers who purchase above a certain amount, among other things, making it a major focus of the store's response to inbound tourists, who accounted for over 15% of the store's total sales in the previous fiscal year and have rapidly expanded to an average of approximately 27% since April.
In terms of merchandising, information hubs called "Global Messages" will be set up in the main spaces in front of the escalators on each floor, from the basement level to the 7th and 10th floors, to promote the latest styles from Japan and around the world, seasonal customs and global lifestyles.
In addition, based on the idea of "this is Japan," the Mitsukoshi Isetan Group's new corporate message launched in 2015, a new zone called "Ginza Style (Japan Filter)" will be developed on the cosmetics, women's goods, men's clothing and living floors, which will convey Japanese sensibilities such as the spirit, technical capabilities, materials and design of Japanese manufacturing, in addition to the previously proposed "Ginza Style" which has been passed through "the Ginza filter, which is the added value unique to Ginza."
