A&S Takashimaya Set to Open First Downtown Duty Free Store in Tokyo, Local Brands to Feature Heavily

A&S Takashimaya set to open first downtown duty free store in Tokyo, local brands to feature heavily

By Hibah Noor on April, 11 2017 | Retailers

In major news from Asia, Takashimaya Duty Free, The Shilla Duty Free and All Nippon Airways Trading Co Ltd (ANA) have teamed up to open their ﬁrst downtown store in Tokyo.

The new downtown duty free store in Takashimaya Times Square Shinjuku will be opening on April 27.

The three partners have formed a joint venture, known as A&S Takashimaya Duty Free Company Limited (A&S Takashimaya), to operate the store, which will be located on 11th ﬂoor of Takashimaya Times Square Shinjuku.

“A&S Takashimaya is looking forward to opening an attractive new downtown duty free store to make a convenient one-stop shopping complex in Shinjuku Times Square for foreign customers by collaborating all JV participants’ strength in the merchandising, marketing and operational know-how of downtown duty free stores,” the partnership said.

A&S Takashimaya, whose CEO is Ryugo Nishimura, will operate a duty free zone and a tax free zone. The duty free zone will work in the same way as other downtown duty free stores, while the tax free zone will oﬀer products without domestic VAT and will allow customers to collect their items right after purchase.

The product line-up is set to be exciting, with an emphasis on hot Japanese products. A&S Takashimaya will oﬀer popular cosmetics brands, both imported and local, and will present the most extensive line-up of Japanese cosmetics brands among any downtown duty free store in Japan.

“Japanese local goods are the other competitive edge of Takashimaya Duty Free, Shilla and ANA,” the partners said. “Not only local confectionery and traditional crafts, but also Japanese dietary supplements and drugs will cover customers’ needs on Japanese local goods.”

In another ﬁrst, A&S Takashimaya will also introduce leading Japanese drugstore Matsumoto Kiyoshi in the store to cater for this demand.

Meanwhile, foreign travelers will be treated to the must-have electronics brands in Japan, which will be available in collaboration with Japanese duty free operator LAOX.

Takashimaya Shinjuku Times Square has relocated and expanded its duty free counter on the 11th ﬂoor in the department store to support the new A&S Takashimaya downtown venture. The entire Takashimaya Shinjuku Times Square complex will oﬀer an enhanced environment and infrastructure supporting the downtown shop to enhance the overall experience for foreign travelers.

The complex will endeavour to lure foreign travelers with a full-scale, one-stop shopping and entertainment experience completed by duty free, a department store, specialty stores and leading gourmet restaurants in the Tokyo area, the partners said.

“A&S Takashimaya has carefully selected popular brands and items for foreign travelers in Japan to oﬀer a one-stop shopping experience to those travelers who have less time to shop,” they noted.

“Our extensive line-up of cosmetics brands for beauty-seeking travelers and the Tax Free Zone for customers who want to collect their items immediately are A&S Takashimaya’s diﬀerentiation point from the other Tokyo downtown duty free stores,” they said.

Hot Japanese brands in the duty free zone

A&S Takashimaya will introduce 18 Japanese beauty brands which are popular with foreign visitors. The entire line-up will comprise 26 brands, including eight local brands in the tax free zone. It will be the most extensive selection of Japanese cosmetics brands in any downtown duty free store in Japan.

Ten imported cosmetics brands will also provide an in-depth beauty shopping experience. On average, Japanese cosmetics will retail at 15% less than local GR, and special travel retail exclusive sets will aim to appeal to foreign travelers (excluding certain brands). Each brand will be located in a personalized booth manned by beauty advisors.

Local beauty brands will include Albion, Clé de Peau Beauté, Shiseido, The Ginza, SK-II, FANCL, Kose, Cosme Decorte, Jill Stuart, Kanebo, MDNA, ReFa, Three, and Covermark.

Imported brands will span Estée Lauder, Clinique, La Prairie, Clarins, L'Occitane, Givenchy, and Bulgari (Perfume).

In fragrances, A&S Takashimaya will oﬀer popular brands frequently selected as a gift. They will include Lanvin, Jimmy Choo, Montblanc, Calvin Klein, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta, and Gucci.

A&S Takashimaya will also carry carefully selected imported watches, fashion accessories, liquor and tobacco brands to provide a special duty free shopping experience to foreign travelers.

In a pioneering development, the operator will debut Matsumoto Kiyoshi, a leading drugstore in Japan, to oﬀer dietary supplements, drugs and pharmaceutical cosmetics to foreign visitors.

Copyright DutyFree Magazine. All rights reserved. The electronics department will showcase made-in-Japan electronics and beauty devices, including brands such as Panasonic, YA-MAN, SIXPAD, and FOREO. Other brands expected to be popular are Tiger rice cookers and Braun.

Specially selected Japanese cosmetics can be collected right after purchase. These brands will include Cosme Proud, DHC, and Hakuichi.

Crafts and folk arts will also be an important part of the mix. The new store will feature traditional Japanese arts and crafts “reﬁned by the artistic touch of the Japanese maestro”.

“Foreign travelers can enjoy genuine Japanese culture in the duty free store,” A&S Takashimaya enthused, such as pottery, Edo and bamboo crafts, and traditional Japanese stationery.

Popular Japanese confectionery such as 白い愛人 from Hokkaido and Gaufrette from Fugetsudo Ueno will seek to draw visitors’ attention, along with Japanese confectionery with proven popularity in airports among foreign travelers.

Other products hitting the shelves will include fashion accessories, children’s items, health/travel supplies, and clocks.