Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings to further expand hospitality for foreign visitors

TOKYO - The Isetan Mitsukoshi group, the largest department store group in Japan with a network of 28 stores at home and 31 outlets abroad, said Sept. 24 it will expand its hospitality services for the growing number of foreign visitors to Japan, including setting up or enlarging duty-free counters to expedite procedures for tax-exempt purchases and offering multilingual catalogs to make shopping more convenient and enjoyable.

"We will polish our sales service, which is our most distinctive value on top of our highly unique products, shopping space and environment, in continuing to offer the best hospitality that only a Japanese department store can provide," says Hiroshi Ohnishi, President and CEO of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd.

Examples of service expansion starting Oct. 1
(Enhancing Our System of Handling Tax Exemption)
- Stores where duty-free counters will be enlarged: Seven stores, including Isetan Shinjuku Main Store, Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store and Mitsukoshi Ginza Store
- Stores where new duty-free counters will be set up: Five stores, including Sendai Mitsukoshi, bringing the total number of stores with duty-free counters to 27
- Stores where an IT system for tax exemption procedures will be introduced: Seven stores, bringing the total number of stores with the tax exemption system to 17
- Stores where currency exchange machines will be installed: Two stores, bringing the total number of stores with currency exchangers to seven

(Providing Information for Customers)
- Drawing up catalogs of recommended products (Isetan Shinjuku Main Store, Mitsukoshi Ginza Store, JR Kyoto Isetan)
- We will select products that are popular with visiting foreigners and introduce them in multiple languages (English, Chinese) on the catalogs.

In the autumn of 2015, the first domestic duty-free shop outside airports in Japan (excluding Okinawa) will open at the Mitsukoshi Ginza Store.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia