Tokyo, Nov. 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese variety goods retailer Hands Inc.’s Shibuya store in Tokyo, which has been a popular destination for 48 years, offering shoppers new discoveries among its roughly 100,000 products in a maze-like building, will close on Sunday. The “Hands” logo on the store’s exterior was replaced with “Thanks” on Oct. 30 as a gesture of gratitude to customers. The store originally opened as an outlet of Tokyu Hands Inc., the predecessor of Hands, in 1978. It is known for its distinctive spiral layout linking 24 sales areas from the second basement floor to the seventh floor, designed to follow the area’s sloped terrain. Although the store has long been one of the landmarks of Tokyo’s Shibuya district, it is closing due to the expiration of its lease and the aging of the building. The store has been holding a sale since Oct. 16. A 55-year-old self-employed man who said he had been visiting the store since it opened expressed sadness over its closure. “(The store) offered select products unavailable elsewhere,” a 57-year-old company employee who used to work nearby said. “With the redevelopment of Shibuya progressing, I feel a sense of loss.” The area surrounding Shibuya Station is undergoing redevelopment by the Tokyu Group, a corporate group led by Tokyu Corp. Tokyu Department Store Co.’s flagship store in the district and Sogo & Seibu Co.’s Seibu Shibuya department store have already closed, changing the face of the area. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
