What: Frenchfounders invited the IADS to interview Davide Sesia, Executive Vice President and Director at Sogo Seibu, to explore the situation of department stores in Japan and discuss the reopening of the Ikebukuro flagship store in Tokyo.

Why it is important: The Ikebukuro Sogo Seibu store is the second largest in terms of revenue in Kanto (Tokyo region) and the third largest in Japan, after Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo and Hankyu Umeda in Osaka. The store has been closed for more than three years to undergo a radical restructuring under the helm of the first non-Japanese national to lead the company since its inception.

Frenchfounders - Present and future of department stores in Japan