TOKYO -- Major Japanese furniture and household goods retailer Nitori Holdings Co., in a drive to accelerate overseas expansion, has announced that it has reached the 100-store mark in China.

Nitori opened its first overseas store in 2007, and had 179 locations outside Japan as of the end of March 2024. The company opened its first stores in Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea and Vietnam in fiscal 2023, and expanded to the Philippines this April.

On June 28, a total of four locations were opened in the Chinese cities of Guangzhou, Nanjing and Chongqing. A commemorative ceremony was held at the Chongqing store as the 100th in China, with Nitori officials, the Consul General of Japan in Chongqing and others attending.

Masanori Takeda, vice president of Nitori, said at the ceremony, "Nitori's long-term vision is to reach 4,000 stores worldwide in 2032. Reaching 100 stores in China is a milestone and the first step toward further business expansion."

The Chongqing store sells about 5,000 items, primarily furniture and household goods. According to the firm, approximately 32 million people visit Nitori stores in China each year. Its customer base extends across a wide range of generations but mainly consists of those in their 20s to 40s. Lightweight tableware and reclining sofas made in Japan are particularly popular.

(Japanese original by Yuka Kato, Business News Department)