Find & Meet something new at Meetz STORE, a showrooming store opens on April 29 in Takashimaya Shinjuku Store

Five curators who produce new discovery under five themes

TOKYO, April 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --  TAKASHIMAYA TRANSCOSMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE PTE. LTD. (Headquarters: Singapore; Managing Director, CEO: Takahiro Kawaguchi; TTIC; a joint venture of Takashimaya Company, Limited. and transcosmos inc.), is delighted to announce that Meetz STORE, our retail store designed specifically for showrooming will open in Takashimaya Shinjuku store on April 29, 2022. The Meetz STORE will bring items under the themes of gourmet, genderless lifestyle, beauty, arts & crafts, and ethical.

Meetz STORE: Purpose
Meetz STORE, a store specifically designed for showrooming, presents items that you can hardly find in department stores, and makes you delight at new discoveries. Covid-19 and other recent trends induced changes in our lifestyle. To meet the changing consumer buying behavior, we have decided to open the Meetz STORE with the aim to bring new value to consumers by creating a touchpoint with a wide range of customers including the young who don't regularly visit department stores.

Meetz STORE: Concept
Find a gift that expresses your true feelings.
Connect your feelings with a gift.
Meetz STORE is a place where you can find and meet just the right gift to convey your feelings.

Meetz STORE is a media connecting the real store – where you and creators' feelings meet - and its online store.

Meetz STORE: Space design concept
Make the showrooming store – where digital meets physical- a place where customers enjoy an analogue shopping experience. With that in mind, we designed the space to create a minimal world view that embraces diverse items with different product personalities by leveraging one of Takashimaya's key strengths as a department store; editing expertise.
Make each item take the center stage in a world of white. On display stands of diverse shapes, every item stands out, whilst simple and flat floor space brings out the distinctive charm of each brand. Branding and interior are designed by George Creative Company (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President: George Amano).

Product lineup, hand-picked by our curators with a savvy in five themes
Meetz STORE presents brands under five themes; gourmet, genderless lifestyle, beauty, arts & crafts, and ethical. Product offerings include items chosen by our five expert curators with a savvy in their respective themes.

[Gourmet]
Entertainer & Gourmet: Jimon Terakado
Selection of world's food items that bring you happiness (Foods, kitchen items, restaurant gift cards, etc.)
Born in 1962. Jimon Terakado is a member of Japan's comedy trio Dacho Club, and belongs to Ohta Production. Jimon stars in various variety show programs, and also well-known as a prominent gourmet in the entertainment industry. In particular, one of his programs, Terakado Jimon no Shuzai Kyhohino Mise, was a hit. In the program, he directly negotiates with distinguished restaurants that serve culinary masterpieces but has a non-media interview policy, to get permission to cover them in the program. Today, Jimon produces leather goods made of Matsuzaka cow leather, as well as department stores and events. He also has published many books on food and restaurants, and writes original stories of manga. Jimon has a particular passion for Yakiniku, or Korean barbeque, and has obtained a livestock dealer license. In September 2020, Jimon launched his YouTube channel, "Terakado Jimon no Uza Channel." In the same year, he made a directorial debut with his movie "Food Luck!"

[Genderless Lifestyle]
Architectural designer & Consultant: Sari Kaede
Selection of uplifting items to help you overcome borders including gender, age, and disability (Cosmetics, supplements, beauty items and apparel)
Sari Kaede is an architectural designer and consultant at Japan's leading design firm with the top market share in architectural design and management. She also gives lectures on LGBTQ as a transgender woman. She changed her gender during her time in Keio University Graduate School in 2017, and is drawing market attention as a transgender woman staring in diverse fields ranging from architecture, branding to being a fashion model.
You decide, a documentary film that closely covers her quest for Miss International Queen, was officially invited to the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival 2020 for the first time in Japan, and consequently won the best documentary award. The film is now available on Netflix.

[Beauty]
Actor & Model: Alisa Urahama
Selection of items & experiences to cherish your beauty and spirit (Cosmetics, beauty items, experience, supplements, etc.)
Alisa Urahama was born to an American father and a Japanese mother in Hyogo prefecture. Alisa started her career as a model at the age of four, and made her catwalk debut at the Kobe Collection 2005 AUTUMN/WINTER at 15. She continued her modelling career since her teenage years, appearing in a number of magazines and brand collection shows for both Japanese and international brands. Today, Alisa has broadened her career including actor, radio navigator, MC for TV programs and events, to DJ at music festivals.

[Ethical]
GENERATION TIME President/Ethical Director Mao Sakaguchi
Selection of ethical items that match today's lifestyle (Everyday items, knickknacks, foods, collaboration items)
Mao Sakaguchi moved to the United States for high school. After graduating from university, he engaged in the music industry in New York, and established his own music label.
On his return to Japan, Mao joined Ash P. France. In 2012, Mao launched Japan's first ethical-themed area at Japan's largest joint fashion design exhibition "rooms." Since then, due to the growing interest in SDGs and ESG, he has been providing ethical/sustainable business consulting services from a multifaceted perspective. In 2021, Mao launched an ethical convenience store chain. In the same year, he became independent and founded his own company, GERATION TIME. Today, Mao is a navigator for J-Wave "ETHICAL WAVE," an advisor to the Japan Ethical Promotion Council, and an ambassador of NICOL AFAN WOODLAND TRUST.

[Arts & Crafts]
Design business producer: George Amano
Selection of arts & crafts, reproduced to match today's lifestyle and taste (Tableware, flower vase, artwork, everyday items, arts, fashion accessories)
Born in Kyoto, George Amano is a design business producer, a renowned professional for making "design" a business. George produces shops for trendy, selling items and food & drinks, and develops winning items by providing direction to makers and designers. He also designs promotional and marketing strategies for various companies from a realistic perspective. Prior to the current position, George founded GEORGE'S, a company with multiple stores across Japan including CIBONE, a lifestyle goods brand, and SOUVENIR FROM TOKYO in The National Art Center, Tokyo. GEORGE CREATIVE COMPANY has formed a capital and business alliance with ORANGE AND PARTNERS Co., Ltd., operated by a screenwriter Kundo Koyama, and became its group company.

Brands to be displayed *examples (Company name/Brand name)

• Cuore inc./ THE POTAGE (no translation available) https://cuore-nagatomo.com/

A premium potage soup brand, produced by a chef who has been mesmerizing the world's top athletes and fashion models. Committed to bring out the most of carefully selected ingredients, all potage soups will wow you with their natural sweetness and richness of vegetables that you have never experienced. With no animal products, seven major allergens, preservatives, and additives, our potage soups are for customers of all ages.

• Thumbs Up Works/ sawachina (no translation available) https://www.kochicraftcola.com/

Sawachina, Kochi craft cola, is additive-free cola syrup, a concoction with cola nuts and a variety of spices from around the world, and eight Kochi prefecture special ingredients. Scent of spices, citrus fruits and Japanese herbs wafting in a mild, sweet flavor, Kochi craft cola brings a full flavor of Kochi. A mix of refreshing citrus flavor, gentle sweetness of brown sugar, spicy flavor of ginger and Japanese pepper, plus a scent of Japanese cinnamon and a taste of sun-dried salt, all creates a distinctive flavor.

• Dream Power Incorporated/EUREA https://www.nmn-dreampower.com/en/

Skincare brand EUREA offers products containing NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide), a substance that is drawing attention among those who pursuit beauty and glowing skin. NMN contained in EUREA products is safe, all sourced and manufactured in Japan.

• KDC Co., Ltd./ O.T.F (no translation available) https://www.otf-skincare.com/

Under its brand concept, LIFE IS ART, and commitment to SDGs, a skincare brand O.T.F always offers skincare products that make your life beautiful. With a focus primarily on customers in their 40s to 50s, O.T.F offers a variety of skincare items.

• Domuz/AND PLANTS (no translation available) https://domuz.jp/

Bring nature into your room! Under this theme, AND PLANTS offers a life with plants. Through plants, an indoor plants & interior brand AND PLANTS brings scenery into your room.

• Hirado Hyakaku Ryoran (Hirado Chamber of Commerce and Industry)/Hirado Hyakaku Ryoran (no translation available) https://www.hirado-tsutaya.jp/

Hyaka no Zu, an encyclopedia of 100 sweets, was created in the Edo era when Hirado city, Nagasaki prefecture was called Hirado han. Using the encyclopedia as a motif, Hirado Hyakaku Ryoran reproduces those sweets with a modern essence.

• CARTA COMMUNICATIONS Inc./ HAUT (no translation available) https://hautmens.com/

HAUT, a D2C men's skincare brand, offers All-In-One face toner, milky lotion and beauty serum. HAULT moisturizing ingredients, designed specifically for men's skin structure – more oil on the surface and prone to dry inside – boost and retain skin moisture.

• AION Co., Ltd./ STTA https://www.stta.info/

STTA brand offers a range of water absorption tools, removing water droplets from your everyday life. The first lineup are stick-type sponge towels using SOFRAS, a sponge with ultra-microporosity proprietary designed and developed taking more than five years. Leveraging the benefits that towel clothes cannot offer, mobile sponge towels let you wipe out waterdrops everywhere you go.

[New Arrivals!]
Three brands, selected by Thailand's innovative retailer SIAM PIWAT, will be showcased for the first time in Japan (scheduled to be exhibited and start selling in mid June).

• ICON CRAFT: A collection of contemporary craft items, co-created with Thai local designers and craftsmen.
• ABSOLUTE SIAM: A mix of Thai fashion and lifestyle brands offer their exclusive design collections.
• ECOTOPIA: A collection of eco-friendly, ethical product offerings for co-creating a better world and making a positive difference to local communities.

Meetz STORE will showcase different brand lineups in every few months, always offering a new opportunity for customers to meet new brands.

Extensive gift service features including gift wrapping, social gifting and more
Our product lineup includes a range of items perfect for gifts. We offer optional gift wrapping services for customers who have shopped on our online store.
We also offer social gifting services that have become popular especially among the young under the Covid-19 crisis where direct interaction is limited. You can readily send a gift to your friends via LINE, email and other social accounts without a postal address.

Store Overview
■ Name: Meetz STORE
■ Opening day: Friday, April 29, 2022
■ Location: 2nd floor, Shinjuku Takashiamaya store (next to the South Exit of JR Shinjuku station)
■ Opening hours: 10:30-19:30
■ Brands: About 30
■ Items: Foods, cosmetics, knickknacks, cloths, apparel items, etc.
■ Customer support: +81-3-6910-3010

Media Contact

transcosmos inc., transcosmos inc., +81-3-6709-2251, [email protected]

SOURCE transcosmos inc.