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Polly Hui

Mitsukoshi and Seibu in Causeway Bay may be closing, but beginning tomorrow devoted followers of Japanese fashion will find a new temple of faith when a Sogo branch opens in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The store, occupying a total floor space of 115,000 sq ft in Salisbury Garden, Salisbury Road, is about a quarter the size of the Causeway Bay store, and the first branch since that one opened about two decades ago.

It will feature 150 international brands of fashion, cosmetics, accessories, and food products, including 10 fashion brands new to Hong Kong, said Eliza Lo Siu-wai, deputy general manager of Sogo Hong Kong.

'We always feel there is the need for a department store to tap the young market in Tsim Sha Tsui. Our focus is on fashion, gifts and accessories and we will provide a food and beverage area for Japanese cuisine and cakes. There will not be electrical appliances, children clothes, and household items.'

While a quarter of the customers at the Causeway Bay store were tourists, Ms Lo estimated they would account for  as much  as 40 per cent at the  new branch.

'We believe that Japanese fashion can best cater for the Asian market because of its excellent cutting and design,' she said.

'It  cannot be replaced by products from the United States or even South Korea.'

Shinji Sawada, assistant deputy store manager of Sogo Hong Kong, said  some  fashion brands, such as RoseBullet  and Ba-Tsu Club,  were also relatively new  in Japan.

He said Sogo was trying to learn from the success of Shibuya 109, a six-storey fashion mecca that draws Tokyo's trend-setters.

Ms Lo said that she was confident that the store would be able to cope with the demands of the expected increase in number of customers during the 'golden week', the holiday week following National Day on October 1

'Mainland tourists are increasingly selective on their purchases. The opening of  Disneyland left them not much time to stroll  aimlessly in shopping malls and department stores.

'Instead, they shop with a focused mind on the brands and types of goods they are looking for,' she said.

Sogo was also exploring the possibility of opening another branch but had not yet identified the right location.



Sogo bucks trend with TST branch