Tennoji Mio (MIO) Plaza, a commercial facility operated by Tennoji SC Development (headquarters: Osaka City), a JR West Group company, reopened on the 15th after undergoing renovations. Each floor has been renovated intermittently since last fall, but this latest renovation focused on the second and third floors. While the facility is small and not particularly well-known nationwide, it has attracted attention from the industry by opening new select shop formats. This time, we'll focus on these new formats. The most noteworthy are Urban Research's "Sense of Place" and Abahouse International's "Myself Abahouse," both of which are new store formats opening for the first time. Urban Research's fast fashion line, "Sense of Place," debuted this spring and offers everything from basics to trendy items and dresses. It's a multi-purpose business with a 40:60 mix of men's and women's styles. From the start, the store has had its sights set on overseas expansion. The main price ranges are tops in the ¥3,000 to ¥5,000 range, bottoms in the ¥4,000 to ¥9,000 range, outerwear up to ¥19,000, and dresses in the ¥7,000 to ¥9,000 range. However, the store will also offer special cut-and-sew items for ¥990 and ¥1,900. "We envisioned a price range between H&M and Zara," said Ai Tanimoto of the company's Product Support Department. In addition to offering its own products, the store is actively pursuing collaborations and double-branding with other brands. As a first step, the store will offer collaborative products with the women's brand "Marietta" and the women's casual wear brand "Antgauge." While selling miscellaneous goods and cosmetics is not uncommon these days, the store will also sell fresh flowers. After launching on the fashion online shopping site "ZOZOZOWN" on February 28, the store launched its own online store on March 1. The Tennoji MIO Plaza store is the first of its kind, with a Grand Front Osaka store opening on April 26th. The company does not plan to expand its store network in the medium term, instead emphasizing a policy of strengthening sales through its online store. The more stores a low-cost brand has, the larger its production lot, lowering its manufacturing costs per item. While this often leads to a large number of stores opening in a short period of time, Sense of Place aims to expand production lots by boosting sales through its online store instead of opening a large number of stores.

Abahouse International's Myself Abahouse is also a multi-purpose store for men and women. This store, based on an American casual style, caters to the lifestyle of young couples living on the West Coast of the United States. While it is not uncommon for stores to offer miscellaneous goods and accessories in addition to clothing, it also sells gardening supplies, kitchen utensils, organic detergents, and even houseplants. Coincidentally, it also sells plants, a theme shared with Sense of Place. While the products are mostly designed in-house, the company also stocks and sells other brands such as Lee, The North Face, Levi's Vintage Clothing, Pro-Keds, Superga, and Ebbets Field. Prices are also in the mid-range, with T-shirts priced at 3,990 yen, shirts starting at 4,935 yen, and original selvedge denim jeans priced at 8,925 yen. Future openings include LaLaport Yokohama on March 20, Grand Front Osaka on April 26, Lumine Ikebukuro on April 25, and MARK IS Minato Mirai in late June. Besides these two stores, Beams' new family-oriented store, "Beaming Life Store," opened its first Kansai location at Tennoji MIO Plaza. It also sells miscellaneous goods, but not plants. The store opened in September last year, and this MIO Plaza store is the seventh nationwide. It's a multi-purpose store offering men's, women's, and children's items, targeting new families in their 30s. The aisles are wide to accommodate stroller customers, and mid-priced products are available. This store also has an image of a West Coast American family, with a strong casual element. While the store mainly carries its own products, it also carries other brands such as "Lee," "Saint James," and "New Balance."