Aiming to shake off its image as an expensive members-only store, furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu Ltd. on Friday unveiled its renovated flagship store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, offering a more welcoming atmosphere.
"What we cared about (in this renewal) was to make the store more customer-centric," Otsuka Kagu President Kumiko Otsuka told reporters at the store the same day. "We wanted to make it easy (for customers) to come by and learn (about our products), all the while feeling comfortable" when they are shopping.
The Tokyo-based company ran a kind of membership-based business that offered customers competitive prices when compared to its rivals. Before, customers were asked to provide their names in order to be able to browse items on sale inside the stores and become members when they purchased something.