Sogo: Information from Answers.com

For the fictional city SoGo, see Barbarella (comics).

Sogo Kobe Department Store

Sogo Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社そごう) is a department store chain that operates an extensive network of branches in Japan. It once owned stores in locations as diverse as Beijing & Hong Kong in China, Taipei in Taiwan, Jakarta & Surabaya in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok in Thailand, London in United Kingdom, but most of these international branches are now operated by independent franchises.

1 History
2 China
- 2.1 Beijing
- 2.2 Hong Kong
3 Taiwan
4 Indonesia
5 Malaysia
6 Singapore
7 Sogo Gallery
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

History

Sogo Hachioji Department Store, Hachiōji, Tokyo

Sogo was founded in 1830 in Osaka by Ihei Sogo as a retailer of used kimono.

In July 2000, the company faced financial troubles caused by the reckless real estate investment policy of the former chairman, Hiroo Mizushima, and the collapse of Japanese real estate prices since the mid-1980s. The group collapsed under a debt mountain of US$17 billion, owed principally to Industrial Bank of Japan.^[1] Sogo applied to Osaka District Court under the Civil Rehabilitation Law on July 12, 2000. It has had to divest itself of unprofitable business lines, as well as valuable assets such as several stores in Japan (e.g., Kokura and Kurosaki) and some overseas stores, including ones in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Taipei.

Other overseas Sogo stores survived under independent franchises, through which the Japanese company has also managed to raise capital.

In Japan, Sogo is now a subsidiary of Millennium Retailing.

China

Beijing

Sogo also has two main stores in Beijing. The store located in Beijing's southern district is one of the largest and most prestigious department stores in the city.

In 2004, Jiuguang Department Store in Shanghai was opened as a joint venture between Lifestyle International Holdings of Hong Kong, the owner of Sogo Hong Kong and the state-owned Joinbuy Group of Shanghai. The department store is located in the fashionable Jin'an District adjacent to the Jin'an Temple, on West Nanjing Road. The store operation is a clone of the Sogo in Hong Kong including the high-end supermarket Freshmart and Beaute @ Jiuguang (instead of Beaute @ Sogo).

The store also brought in some very exclusive designers, a lot of which had their first counter in China or Asia such as Thomas Pink, Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood.

Hong Kong

Main article: Sogo Hong Kong

The Causeway Bay store on Hong Kong Island, also known colloquially as "Jumbo Sogo," opened in 1980.

Following Sogo Group's collapse, the business of Sogo Hong Kong, including the 40,500-square-meter retail property located in Causeway Bay, was sold for US$453.6 million to two local billionaire Thomas Lau of Chinese Estates and Henry Cheng of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises when the Japanese Sogo went bankrupt^[2]. They took Sogo public by injecting this asset into Lifestyle International in 2004.

Sogo Hong Kong Co. Ltd, the Sogo franchisee, now operates one additional store in Tsim Sha Tsui, which opened on September 30, 2005, marking the 25th anniversary of Sogo in Hong Kong. The Causeway Bay store has had an extension built, which opened in November 22, 1993, and carries items in all product categories within a 15-story building. It recently opened the Sogo Club and Sogo Book club as well as a new annex building named Beauté by Sogo. The Tsim Sha Tsui branch focuses on designer fashions.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, as a subsidiary of Far East Group, Pacific Sogo operates 17 stores: eight in Taiwan and nine in China (three in Shanghai, one in Beijing, two in Chengdu, two in Chongqing and one in Dalian, as of August 2007)^[3].

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Pacific Sogo recently found itself in the midst of a corruption scandal over gift certificates involving the family of Republic of China's President Chen Shui-Bian; the case is still under investigations as one of the accused, Wu Shu-zhen has not appeared since the first trial was held.^[4]

Indonesia

Targeting the upper-class market, Sogo department store in Indonesia operates under PT. Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk. and is currently the largest Sogo franchisee with a total of eleven department stores under Sogo brand and it is the only franchisee to retain the original use of logo at all branches (without additional text/characters). All stores are located at high-end shopping malls in Plaza Senayan, Pondok Indah Mall 2, Mal Kelapa Gading 3, Emporium Mall and Central Park in Jakarta; Plaza Tunjungan and Mall Galaxy Extension in Surabaya; Bali Collection and Discovery Shopping Mall in Bali; Sun Plaza in Medan; and Paris van Java in Bandung.

All stores feature an international market targeted Sogo Supermarket except in Bali Collection and Discovery Shopping Centre. The use of Sogo Supermarket has been phased out progressively with the new Sogo the Foodhall, introducing an ultra-modern supermarket concept. The new concept store first opened in conjunction with the opening of Pondok Indah Mall 2 store in 2005. Besides in Sogo department stores, the same formated store named The Foodhall are also located in Senayan City (as part of Debenhams department store), Grand Indonesia (as part of Seibu department store) and Plaza Indonesia.

Most Sogo department stores in Indonesia houses Planet Sports and Kidz Station. All stores in Jakarta also house a Chaterbox Cafe. Indonesia's largest international book store (currently the second largest), Books Kinokuniya is housed in the upper level of Plaza Senayan flagship store. Two Starbucks Coffee shops are also located in the upper and lower levels of the store.

First opened in 1990, Sogo was located at Plaza Indonesia. However, the store was closed in February 2006, exactly 17 years after its opening for rejuvenation of Plaza Indonesia while it retained its Sogo Supermarket operation, later renamed The Food Hall Gourmet. Both the flagship store and management office were moved to Plaza Senayan, which is currently the largest Sogo in Indonesia, spreading over six levels.

The same company also operates Seibu, another department store of Millennium Retailing Group, across the road from the previous Sogo location (Plaza Indonesia) at Grand Indonesia, one of the largest upper-scale shopping mall in South East Asia.

Malaysia

SOGO, Kuala Lumpur (also known as KL SOGO) is a large single department store in Malaysia. It is located at a site formerly occupied by Suleiman Courts apartments located at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, one of the main shopping streets of Kuala Lumpur. KL SOGO commenced business on 18 January 1994.

Singapore

Once located at one of the most busiest and strategic shopping centres, Raffles City, the Singapore flagship store was closed in 2000 due to the bankcrupcy of Sogo Japan. The space has since been occupied by Singapore's Robinsons. Sogo Supermall

Sogo Gallery

SOGO-Shinsaibashi 1, Osaka	SOGO-Shinsaibashi 2, Osaka	The former Sogo in Kokura, now Isetan	SOGO-Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
SOGO-Causeway Bay, Hong Kong	SOGO-Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong	SOGO Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia \| KL SOGO	SOGO Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia \| KL SOGO