Sogo & Seibu on Tuesday held a media preview of the renovated depachika (department store basement where foodstuffs are usually sold) sweets and gourmet market on the first basement floor at the Japanese department store chain's flagship store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.
The food floor, set to open on Wednesday, features 25 new shops specializing in sweets, as well as existing shops that have been redecorated.
"We received many requests from customers to reopen the depachika," said Yasuhiro Teraoka, manager of the Ikebukuro store. "We're now ready to meet their expectations."
A highlight of the renovated floor is the opening of 10 new cake shops, including Chez Shibata, which is opening its first shop in the Kanto region.
Among the existing shops, Unohanagaki, which sells famous confectioneries from across Japan, has expanded its selection of individually sold products and daily sweets, with the aim of attracting both regular customers and young people who are not familiar with department store sweets.
A section for bento boxed meals is also slated to open on the first basement floor in October.
The Seibu Ikebukuro store's sales floor space has been halved due to the opening of an outlet of electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera. Therefore, the department store is undergoing refurbishment for its full-scale reopening expected as early as January 2026.
In July, the cosmetics area on the third floor completed its renovation and reopened. The deli section on the second basement floor is scheduled to open on Sept. 25.
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