The Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Main Store, the central facility of the Tower Building of Abeno Harukas, a new landmark in Tennoji, Osaka, was unveiled ahead of its grand opening on the 13th. The 300-meter-tall Abeno Harukas Tower Building will house the Kintetsu Main Store from the second basement floor to the 14th floor, with the 60th floor housing an art museum, office tenants, the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel, and an observation deck. The floors above the Kintetsu Main Store are scheduled for grand opening next spring. A specialty shopping arcade will open in the Wing Building connected to the Tower Building this fall, bringing the combined sales floor area of the two buildings to 100,000 square meters. First-year sales are expected to reach 145 billion yen (combined sales from the department store and specialty stores). Yoshihiko Mamiya of Infix, the company responsible for the spatial design, explained, "We created a town-like space where people can encounter things, experiences, and people." He added, "We devised ways to incorporate the fun and diversity of the town." The company also states that "change creates joy." Four plazas have been created in the Tower Building, serving as design accents and relaxation areas for customers. Nakata Motoyuki, Executive Managing Director and Store Manager, explains, "We consider the area within a 30-minute train ride to be our business area, and we hope to attract the 2.6 million households and 6.3 million people within that area." He adds, "Unlike Umeda and Namba, which are heavily commuter-heavy, Tennoji has many local residents, so we want to work closely with the community." Tennoji is Osaka City's third-largest terminal area, serving the JR, Kintetsu, and subway lines. It's not only busiest, but also known for its residential areas surrounding the department store. Two noteworthy areas are the men's clothing section "Measure Made" on the 7th floor and the children's clothing section "Wonder Apartment" on the 8th floor. Measure Made, the easy-to-order section, features a 3D virtual ordering system installed by Onward Kashiyama. This is the first attempt in Japan at men's easy-to-order clothing, where a 3D graphic image of the suit is displayed on a tablet device, allowing customers to freely change the color and pattern, and the image can be rotated 360 degrees to simulate how the suit will look from various angles.
Wonder Apartment, which brings together four unique children's clothing brands - Nino, Tappet, Marouk, and Petit Sucre - is now its second store after the one at Nishinomiya Hankyu. Abeno Harukas Dining, a restaurant area on the upper 12th to 14th floors, has 44 stores and 2,800 seats. The living room sales area on the 10th floor is home to the first large-scale Actus store in a department store, as well as Unico.
