Confectionery and food wholesaler Marusho Takagi Shoten (Kyoto City) recently opened “Showa Retro Yokocho DAGASHI World” in BiVi Nijo, a commercial facility in front of JR Nijo Station. With a store area of 120 tsubo (1 tsubo=3.3m2), it is one of the largest DAGASHI (Japanese snacks and candies) theme parks in the Kansai region, with more than 2,000 types of DAGASHI.
The symbol of the store is the white Daihatsu Midget. The nostalgic product signs displayed around it are also eye-catching. In addition, bottled cola vending machines, red public telephones, round posts, and pull-carts create a Showa era. The BGM is also centered on hit songs of the time.
In addition to selling DAGASHI under 100 yen, such as candy balls priced at 10 yen each, gum, chocolate, and ramune sweets, there are also boxed products that encourage “bulk buying”. “Young Donuts” and “Snack Carpas” are said to be popular.
“Itohiki Ame” and “Bo Kinako Atari”, which are difficult to obtain now, are also lined up in boxes. The classic DAGASHI “Umai Bo” comes in an impressive selection from separate bag to bulk of 30 bags and premium. You can also buy delicacies in plastic containers such as Surume(dried cuttlefish) and Katsu in the whole case.
In addition, there will be many corners according to themes, such as long-established Kyoto confectionery, specialty confectionery and food products from all over the country, PB “Showa Romance” series, and the Kansai version of NB confectionery, catering to a wide range of customers.
At the event booth, Anpanman-related products being screened at the movie theater in the same facility will be turned into a corner. It attracts interest mainly from parents and children. In addition to confectionery, there will also be a sales area for sundries and alcoholic beverages, and the company’s flagship store “Wholesale Hiroba Takagi Sanjo Store” in the neighborhood will also develop a popular project “Special Price with Reason”.
One month has passed since its opening, and many seniors visit the store in the morning on weekdays, students attending nearby universities in the afternoon, and families on weekends. Across from the store, a duty-free shop for inbound tourists is open, and in the future, they plan to distribute flyers to nearby hotels and other places to appeal to visitors to Japan.
◇ ◇
President Yoshinori Takagi stated the purpose of opening DAGASHI store and future developments as follows;
Our company currently operates wholesale and retail business, but was seeking for opportunity to develop a new retail store with confectionery as the main focus. I visited several DAGASHI stores all over the country and received advice to open it.
I want to increase the unit price by selling not only DAGASHI but also souvenirs and sundries. It is also positioned as a showroom for wholesale sales, which is our main business, and leads to bulk purchases at events and sales promotions.
The goal is 400,000 to 500,000 yen on weekdays and 1 million yen or more on weekends, with an average daily sales of 800,000 yen, and it has been going well since its opening. Since it is in a commercial facility, events are often held, and we expect to attract more customers to go forward.
