This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
Daimaru (大丸) is a Japanese department store chain, principally located in the Kansai region of Japan. The chain is operated by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, a subsidiary of J. Front Retailing. At one time Daimaru was an independent company, The Daimaru, Inc. (株式会社大丸), headquartered in Chūō-ku, Osaka.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Public KK |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Kyoto, Japan (April 16, 1920) |
| Defunct | February 28, 2010 |
| Fate | Merged with Matsuzakaya |
| Successor | Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co., Ltd. |
| Headquarters | Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan |
| Products | Daimaru department stores Daimaru Peacock supermarkets |
| Revenue | 467.0 billion yen (2009) |
Number of employees | 3,292 (2007) |
| Parent | J. Front Retailing |
| Website | daimaru.co.jp/english/index.html |
It has been a member of the International Association of Department Stores from 1962 to 1982. As of 2016, Daimaru had seven stores in Japan, and employed about 3,000 people.[2]
History
editDaimaru traces its history to Dai-Monjiya, a dry goods store in Kyoto founded by Shimomura Hikoemon Masahiro in 1717.[2][3] The name "Daimaru" was first used for a store in Nagoya called Daimaruya, which opened in 1728.[citation needed]
The chain was incorporated in 1907 and reincorporated as Daimaru Dry Goods K.K. in 1920, changing its name to Daimaru in 1928. For several years in the 1960s, Daimaru was the largest retailer in Japan.
In 1960, Daimaru established a subsidiary called Peacock Sangyo. Now known as Daimaru Peacock, it operates 49 supermarkets in the Greater Tokyo Area, 28 in the Kansai region and 8 in the Chūbu region.[citation needed]
International expansion and closures
editDaimaru expanded to Malaysia 1942 opening in Penang and later Singapore establishing a presence in November 1983 when Liang Court was opened. Daimaru would later close and reopen in 2003.[4]
Its opened in Hong Kong in 1960 lasting until its exit from Hong Kong in 1998,[5]
In the late 1964, it was the first Japanese department store to open in Thailand, under the name Thai Daimaru.[6]
It opened its first store outside of Asia in Melbourne, Australia in 1991 operating across six levels of the Melbourne Central (in direct competition with Myer and David Jones). A second Australian store announced in 1996 opened on the Gold Coast in 1998.[7] Daimaru announced its departure from the Australian market after nearly a decade of low profits in September 2001[8] commencing closure of both stores in late 2002.[9][10]
In 1998, Daimaru entered into a partnership with the French grand couturier Dominique Sirop to produce Dominique Sirop for Daimaru, a high fashion prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) label.[citation needed]
Locations (Japan)
edit- Shinsaibashi, Osaka - 7–1, Shinsaibashi Itchome, Chūō-ku. The main Daimaru department store, founded as Matsuya in 1726. Along Mido-suji. Daimaru's corporate headquarters were located nearby, at 4–10, Minamisenba Yonchome.
- Umeda, Osaka - 1-1, Umeda Sanchome, Kita-ku. Opened in 1983. At South Gate Building in the south of Osaka Station.
- Kyoto - 79, Shijo Takakura, Shimogyo-ku Kyoto. Opened in 1912. Along Shijō Dōri, north-east side of Karasuma Station.
- Yamashina - 91, Takehana Takenokaido-cho, Yamashina-ku Kyoto. South of Yamashina Station.
- Kobe - 40, Akashicho, Chūō-ku, Kobe. Opened in 1927. Located in the south of Kyukyoryuchi-Daimarumae Station.
- Shin-Nagata - Nagata-ku, Kobe
- Suma - Suma-ku, Kobe
- Ashiya - near JR West Ashiya Station
- Tokyo - 9–1, Marunouchi Itchome, Chiyoda-ku, inside the new North Tower of the Tokyo Station Twin Towers. Opened in 2007.
- Urawa PARCO - Urawa-ku, Saitama
- LaLaPort Yokohama - Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama
- Sapporo - 4–7, Kitagojonishi, Chūō-ku, inside Sapporo Station. Opened in 2003.
- Stores operated by subsidiary companies in Fukuoka and Nagasaki (Hakata Daimaru K.K.), Shimonoseki, Tottori, Imabari, and Kōchi.
References
edit- ^ "会社概要." Daimaru. January 27, 1998. Retrieved on December 15, 2010. "本社ビル所在地 大阪市中央区南船場4丁目4番10号"
- ^ a b Stuart D.B. Picken (19 December 2016). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Business. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 110–. ISBN 978-1-4422-5589-0.
- ^ Japanese Yearbook on Business History. Japan Business History Institute. 1996. p. 114.
- ^ "Daimaru of Japan says it will close all stores overseas". Australian Business Intelligence. July 2, 2002. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ Lui, Tai-Lok. Gordon, Mathews. [2001] (2001) Consuming Hong Kong.Hong Kong University Press ISBN 962-209-546-1.
- ^ The gods of Ratchaprasong Bangkok Post 30 September 2021
- ^ Daimaru plans $40m Gold Coast store Sonia Syvret Gold Coast Bulletin 23 December, 1996
- ^ Daimaru to close Australian stores Japan Times 26 September 2001
- ^ Kate Tozer (21 June 2002). "Melbourne's Daimaru closes down". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Commission. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ Lyall Johnson (June 20, 2002). "Daimaru to go out with a bargain or two". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
External links
edit- Daimaru official website Archived 2005-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Daimaru official website (in Japanese)
- "Company history books (Shashi)". Shashi Interest Group. April 2016. Wiki collection of bibliographic works on Daimaru