Photo/Illutration The Seibu department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A labor union of Sogo & Seibu Co. will stage a walkout at the Seibu Ikebukuro main store on Aug. 31, which will be closed to shoppers the entire day. 

The decision made on Aug. 30 came as its parent company, Seven & i Holdings Co., seeks to sell the department store operator to Fortress Investment Group, a U.S. investment fund.

The strike at the Seibu Ikebukuro main store in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward will begin at 10 a.m. and last throughout the day.

This will be the first strike among major department stores in more than 60 years since the Hanshin Department Store in 1962, according to UA Zensen, an industrial union representing the distribution and service labor sectors.

Seven & i is set to make the final decision on the sale during an extraordinary board meeting on Aug. 31.

“The time has come for Sogo & Seibu to achieve rapid re-growth,” said Seven & i, explaining its rush to procced with the final vote. “Completing the sale as soon as possible is crucial for maintaining employment and continuing business operations.”

The Sogo & Seibu’s labor union had demanded a response from Seven & i, warning that it would proceed with the walkout if the board members pushed ahead with the vote on the sale.

But the labor union said it could not get confirmation from Seven & i about the cancellation of the sale vote.

Of the roughly 4,000 labor union members, including part-time workers, about 1,000 who work at the Seibu Ikebukuro main store will participate in the strike.

In November last year, Seven & i signed a contract to sell off Sogo & Seibu to Fortress Investment. It planned to conclude the sale in February this year.

However, the plan was postponed due to stalled negotiations with Sogo & Seibu’s labor union and landowners.

This came after it was revealed that Fortress Investment plans to have Yodobashi Holdings Co., its partner, open a large camera and consumer electronics store in a lower floor of the Seibu Ikebukuro main store.

The labor union is demanding job security for its members, while the landowners are concerned about the change in the store’s prominent image in the heart of the Ikebukuro district.

(This article was written by Takeshi Suezaki and Takehiko Sawaji, senior staff writer.)

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