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Has the death of the department store reached Japan?
Seibu’s closure in Shibuya shows the growth of agentic shopping will be bad news for generic retailers.
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With Shibuya undergoing a two-decade reconstruction, many thought that Seibu would be one of the few landmarks to survive. Yet its owner was unable to renew terms with the landowners, and it will close its doors in September.
PHOTO: AFP
Gearoid Reidy
Has the demise of the department store finally arrived in Japan, which has held on to them longer than most?
The news of the impending closure of the Seibu store in Shibuya, the dense part of central Tokyo that’s home to the famed Scramble Crossing, marks the end of an era. Department stores are credited with transforming the area from a sleepy black market backwater to the world-famous home of youth sub-culture, with Seibu’s arrival in 1968 triggering a battle for control.
