LONDON (Kyodo) Mitsukoshi's attempts to open a flagship department store at a prestigious London location were blocked by residents living in one of the capital's best apartment blocks, according to British archives from 1978.
Even lobbying by former British Prime Minister Edward Heath, a resident himself, failed to bring about a change of mind among the residents.
The government files show the firm tried to get the lease on premises next door to The Albany in Piccadilly — an exclusive apartment complex that has counted as residents former prime ministers, business leaders and high-ranking bureaucrats, not to mention well-known writers and artists.