Kintetsu Department Store Co. will bolster its efforts to attract foreign travelers when its new flagship in Japan's tallest building, Abeno Harukas in Osaka, opens full bore March 7.
It will set up a duty-free purchase counter manned by fluent English and Chinese speakers, President Keiji Iida said in a recent interview.
The store will also offer special services allowing foreign travelers to receive goods in their rooms at the Osaka Marriot Miyako Hotel, which shares the skyscraper, he said.
The flagship store's Tower Building opened last June, attracting five times more foreigners than the year before.
"Kintetsu group companies, including the hotel and a travel agency, should cooperate to attract foreigners to Abeno Harukas as a tourist spot," Iida said.
The 60-story Abeno Harukas building boasts an observation deck, the hotel, a museum and office space, as well as the Kintetsu store.
"We will thoroughly educate employees to become fully aware of the whereabouts of all Abeno Harukas components," Iida said.