Japan going frugal with Forever 21 Ginza opening
Shoppers line up outside the Forever 21 flagship store in Ginza.
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Shoppers line up outside the Forever 21 flagship store in Ginza.
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bcbrownboy
"Younger Japanese are becoming more frugal than their parents and more confident about how they dress, rather than depending on high-end brands for status."
Only took 'em how many years. Jeez, change comes slow in old Japan.
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stevecpfc
They are not more frugal, they have less cash, end of. Also not more confident, more like self obsessed , well the ones i meet anyway.
Oldies are very frugal, much more than young, so this article is wrong on all counts.
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KyokoSmile
For a country that is literally drowning in its own economic recession, they seem pretty genki when it comes to throw the money they have left at useless stuff. gee-zus!
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Weasel
Yeah...and their "wonderful" return policy seemed to miss an honorable mention in this article.
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fukuyama
I would like to visit Ginza again. A very nice place
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bicultural
Kyoko, sorry but you're wrong. Japan has the most amount of money in the bank per person among developed countries, so it's not like they don't have the money. And last time I checked, clothes weren't "useless." They are a necessity, along with food and shelter.
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KyokoSmile
bicultural, I'm wrong, you are right. clothes are definitely a necessity. Let me take out my Gucci high heels and Louis Vuitton handbag and go for a ride. I just thought you were apologizing for Japan. But yeah, you are most certainly right! :D
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jruaustralia
And luxury brands are expanding aggressively into Chinese frontiers. I guess if you can put money where your mouth is, then why not.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/03/30/china.fashion.luxury/index.html
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marushka
"I used to go to expensive brands when I was single but not any more, now that I’m married," if it is like this, i dont want to get married:))
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hudagree
Forever 21 is part of the mobile style fashion of the day. Certainly the high fashion brands still have their status but the mobility of these new stores is interesting. Not bad quality either.
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ronaldk
Read this article in the morning and visited today. Not really appealing clothes for middle agers, but right around the corner is the large Uniqlo and Mujirushi, so Ginza has something for everyone and the streets were blocked off to cars so very pleasant to walk around.
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onewrldoneppl
i would never buy/wear A&F. we went to there shop in honolulu and the prices were ridiculous there. if they're double in japan, then the execs @ A&F japan must be smokin' the new & improved stuff.
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usaexpat
Forever 21 is in the same league as Uniqlo and H&M, they should do well.
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noborito
"Wendy’s have been forced " not true. Wendy's Japan wouldn't pay the franchise fees. Mc. Donalds only starting making money after they fired the Japanese president and replaced him with someone from the USA. Now the president of MAC is a puppet of the USA. And is totally Americanized! Is "Krispy Kreme a big winner?" You have got to be kidding me. They can't even serve customers quickly. 30 minutes inline for a donuts. Stupid!!!
They should hire a westerner in Japan to run things and do things exactly like the US while telling the public they are a Japanese company. HMV was a total successes at this and their top 3 execs never learned anything about Japanese culture.
It's 2010! Japan needs to adapt. Other markets are more profitable. No reason to change.
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kisekicaroline
i stopped going to forever 21 when i was in high school. they're stuff are pretty crappy now. i think it's smart that they're opening their shops in japan since japanese girls will probably pay a lot more money than any forever 21 in the US. the thing that pisses me off is that japanese people don't really support their own countries' brands and companies. they would rather buy lux super rich (crappy) than shiseido shampoo (high quality), and mercedes (crappy) than lexus (high quality). have some more respect for your own country!
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ben4short
Jeez, kisekicaroline, which cave have you been inhabiting for the past twenty years? Totally wrong on all counts.
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christa879
Forever 21 is really cheap in the US at least, and they have clothes that Japanese girls would love.
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mrhatoyama
A&F always gets bad press, because you either love or hate the brand. But seriously expensive, then you're either an idiot or you only shop at Uniqlo, Jeansmate, or Forever21. Look around, I walked through Odaiba the other day and saw nothing but used American shirts at select shops for like 60 bucks, no name jeans for like 100 bucks. Go walk through 109 mens or 109 womens. These are fast fashion brands and they are more expensive than A&Fs clothes and can't begin to compare in quality of material and design tastes.
4000 yen for a high quality t-shirt, 8000 yen for a polo, 10,0000 yen for a hoodie. Well compared to the US, yeah expensive, but we are in Japan.
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mrhatoyama
And the prices aren’t double, I would guess 20-40 percent depending on what you are getting. And again, that’s normal, as it is with MOST other brands here in Japan. Do you think companies just stick on higher prices for the hell of it? They aren’t out to screw their customer. Do you not think there are costs such as: entering a new country, researching work laws, hiring staff, startup costs, logistic costs, taxes, custom fees (these are by the Japanese government taking their cut, NOTHING to do with the company), and I could go on and on.
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mrhatoyama
I am extremely happy A&F finally came to Japan because now I can get some clothes that actually fit me and are not styled for a host working in Shinjuku.
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mrhatoyama
And the cheap blow at A&F not doing well, that was just pathetic of the writer of this article. Where is that data coming from? They just opened in Tokyo, Germany, and Italy last year and they have plans to open in Fukuoka, I hear there are still lines every weekend and I saw the news yesterday showing the GW lines at A&F, H&M and Zara on Sunday. I also see their stock has nearly doubled in the past 6 months since they started their international expansion, pretty sure you can’t say that about mine and your company.
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kmkjapan
I used to love Forever21 back in the states especially in the summer time, I will for sure be making a trip to the new store in Tokyo.
http:2010dhcwneelysandme.blogspot.com
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mrhatoyama
One thing people need to know about forever21. They are DECENT designs and extremely cheap, but they are one time use goods. You wear a nice top out at night to a club and throw it away when you get home if it even makes it that far. As long as you buy there clothes for this reason, you will be happy with your purchase.
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incognito12
Brands are ridiculously obscene and they are so passe. It's time the fashion dictators/cartel in NY, Paris and Milan were toppled. Come to think of it- brands are like drugs.
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paulinusa
I was there the other day and it might be because of Golden Week, but it was packed, I mean packed with shoppers(I think it occupies four floors). Matsuzaka hasn't done that much business in years.
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SoggyGyoza
These kind of cheaper shops are a godsend to the deflating economy here, finally somebody has some sense to open shops which normal people can afford to shop in. Those flagship shops for all the top brands are an embarrassment to average people, they should downsize or at least reduce their ostentatious ways. The time of riches are past, return the stores to the tastes of the common people.
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marushka
"The time of riches are past,"- @soggygyoza- after such words i want to hear "The International" and celebrate 1st of May
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kisekicaroline
i would like to ask you the same question if you think i'm wrong on all counts. have you tried both lux super rich and shiseido shampoo? have you had a mercedes and a lexus? if you don't have experience, then you can't really back up your claim, right?
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whiskeysour
Please make a shop for men !!!! Plus large 193cm)((size men !!! I hate the skinny (wafer) boy stores in japan. Why are j guys carrying pretty handbags ?
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LostinNagoya
What I infer from this article is that Japanese are getting poorer, and that Japanese men like to cross-dress while using the net. Is that right?
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