Marimekko Corporation, Press release, 6 September 2012 at 11.45 AM
The expansion of the Marimekko store network in Japan continues with the opening of two new stores in Tokyo. One of the stores opened today in the style-conscious Marunouchi district, which is renowned as a centre of Tokyo’s financial world and is where a lot of well-known fashion and design brand shops are located. The other store, a shop-in-shop of roughly 60 square metres, will open on 12 September 2012 in one of Japan’s biggest department stores, the famous Seibu in Ikebukuro. The department store is located in the immediate vicinity of Tokyo’s second-busiest railway station. Almost three million passengers pass through the station daily.
“We are very pleased that expansion is continuing in this market, which is of great importance to us. The long-term work started in 2006 to build a comprehensive store network and to boost our brand’s recognition factor has borne fruit and Marimekko has achieved a good position in Japan. Our sales have developed well for a long time, although economic conditions in the country have been difficult and several, even famous consumer brands have suffered from declining demand,” says Sales Director Päivi Lonka. “One of the new stores is located on the street level of the Shin-Marunouchi building, which is considered a landmark of Marunouchi, a centre of the Tokyo financial world. Seibu in Ikebukuro is very attractive to us because of its prestige, its classy range, and its enormous customer flows. Our local partner Look Inc. is currently looking for further suitable store premises and will open new Marimekko stores in the Greater Tokyo Area and other parts of the country,” she continues.
After these openings, Tokyo will have seven and Japan a grand total of 23 Marimekko stores.
MARIMEKKO CORPORATION
Corporate Communications
Piia Kumpulainen
Tel. +358 9 758 7293
piia.kumpulainen@marimekko.fi
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Marimekko is a Finnish textile and clothing design company renowned for its original prints and colors. The company designs and manufactures high-quality interior decoration items ranging from furnishing fabrics to tableware as well as clothing, bags and other accessories. When Marimekko was founded in 1951, its unparalleled printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity. Marimekko products are sold in approximately 40 countries. In 2011, brand sales of Marimekko products worldwide amounted to approximately EUR 170 million and the company's net sales were EUR 77 million. The number of Marimekko stores totaled 90 at the year end. The key markets are North America, Northern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group employs around 500 people. The company’s share is quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. www.marimekko.com