Sogo

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Sogo Kobe Department Store

Sogo Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社そごう; Traditional Chinese: 崇光百貨有限公司) is a department store chain that operates an extensive network of branches in Japan. It once owned stores in locations as diverse as Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok, but most of these international branches are now operated by independent franchises.

1 History
2 Hong Kong
3 China
4 Taiwan, ROC
5 Indonesia
6 Sogo Gallery
7 References
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

Sogo Hachioji Department Store, Hachioji, Tokyo

Sogo was founded in 1830 in Osaka by Ihei Sogo as a retailer of used kimono.

In July 2000, the company faced financial troubles cause by the reckless real estate investment policy of the former Chairman, Hiroo Mizushima, and the collapse of Japanese real estate prices since the mid 1980s. The group collapsed under a debt mountain of US$100 million, owed principally to Industrial Bank of Japan^[1]. Sogo applied to Osaka District Court under the Civil Rehabilitation Law on July 12, 2000. It has had to divest itself of unprofitable business lines, as well as valuable assets such as several stores in Japan (eg. Kokura and Kurosaki) and some overseas stores, including stores in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Other overseas Sogo stores survived under independent franchises, through which the Japanese company has also managed to raise capital.

In Japan, Sogo is now a subsidiary of Millennium Retailing.

[edit] Hong Kong

The Causeway Bay store on Hong Kong Island, also known colloquially as "Jumbo Sogo", opened in 1980.

Following Sogo Group's collapse, the business of Sogo Hong Kong, including the 40,500 square meter retail property located in Causeway Bay, was sold for US$453.6 million to two local businessmen Thomas Lau of Chinese Estates and Henry Cheng of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises when the Japanese Sogo went bankrupt^[2]. They took Sogo public by injecting this asset into Lifestyle International in 2004.

Sogo Hong Kong Co. Ltd, the Sogo franchisee, now operates one additional store in Tsim Sha Tsui, which opened on September 30, 2005, marking the 25th anniversary of Sogo in Hong Kong. The Causeway Bay store has had an extension built, and which opened in November 22, 1993, and carries items in all product categories within a 15 story building. It recently opened the Sogo Club and Sogo Book club as well as a new annex building named Beauté by Sogo. The Tsim Sha Tsui branch focuses on designer fashions.

[edit] China

Sogo also has two main stores in Beijing. The store located in Beijing's southern district is one of the largest and most prestigious department stores in the city.

[edit] Taiwan, ROC

In Taiwan, Pacific Sogo operates seven stores: four in Taipei, and one each in Chungli, Hsinchu, and Kaohsiung, the latest being the SOGO Fuxing Branch, located at MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing. Pacific Sogo has recently found itself in the midst of a corruption scandal over gift certificates involving the family of ROC President Chen Shui-Bian.

[edit] Indonesia

Targeting the upper class market, Sogo department store in Indonesia operates under PT. Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk. and is currently the largest Sogo franchise with a total of eight department stores. All stores are located at high-end shopping malls in Plaza Indonesia, Plaza Senayan, Pondok Indah Mall 2 and Mall Kelapa Gading 3 in Jakarta; Tunjungan Plaza 4, Mall Galaxy Extension in Surabaya; Bali Collection in Bali; Sun Plaza in Medan; and Paris van Java in Bandung. The largest being at Plaza Senayan whie the smallest is at Bali Collection. All stores feature a full-scale international Sogo Supermarket except in Bali Collection. The company introduces a new supermarket concept store named Sogo The Food Hall. The new concpet store first open opened in conjunction with the opening of Pondok Indah Mall 2 flagship store in 2005 and followed by the opening of Sogo The Food Hall in Senayan City as part of Debenhams department store in 2006. Most Sogo department store in Indonesia also houses Books Kinokuniya, Starbucks Coffee and Kidz Station. The company will soon houses Seibu, another department store of Millenium Retailing Group, across the road from Sogo Plaza Indonesia at Grand Indonesia, the largest shopping mall in South East Asia when it opens its doors around March of 2007.

[edit] Sogo Gallery

SOGO-Shinsaibashi 1, Osaka	SOGO-Shinsaibashi 2, Osaka	SOGO-Causeway Bay, Hong Kong	SOGO-Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
SOGO-Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong	The former Sogo in Kokura, now Isetan