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Hong Kong's dynamic city life and intoxicating mix of Eastern and Western culture are providing the ideal setting for Japanese bookstore Village Vanguard Hong Kong's first overseas branch. The newly established Japanese-Hong Kong joint venture between JASDAQ-listed Village Vanguard Japan and Era-Bee Limited announced today (November 30) the opening of its unique retail space in Jusco Department Store's Kornhill Branch in Quarry Bay.
The Village Vanguard Hong Kong outlet offers books, comics, magazines, CDs and DVDs, posters, cards, toys, stationery, and other goods. The company aims to create a unique space in the city where customers can enjoy fun while shopping and getting acquainted with the latest Japanese teenage culture.
Village Vanguard has 323 shops across Japan and, apart from the scheduled opening of a second store in the Dragon Centre, Sham Shui Po in mid-December, plans to open additional shops in the city in the near future as part of a key strategy to enter the Hong Kong and Mainland China markets.
President of Village Vanguard Hong Kong, Mr Shigeru Miyawaki, said, "The joint venture marks the beginning of the company's global expansion and Hong Kong is a key strategic location for our future development in the Greater China market. With its close proximity, both geographically and culturally, to Mainland China, the city is well positioned to act as a regional business hub for Village Vanguard's further development. Village Vanguard selected Hong Kong as the strategic base for its global business development and to access the enormous potential of Mainland China's domestic market."
"We hope to attract a group of young people from around the world who appreciate the trends in Japanese culture and at the same time increase the exposure of our brand to the wider world. We firmly believe that cross-cultural understanding and the interaction of young talent will serve to heighten the overall competitiveness of Hong Kong, and the competitiveness of the Asia-Pacific region, in the longer term," he added.
Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Simon Galpin, welcomed the establishment of Village Vanguard's first retail store in Hong Kong. "We are pleased to see another popular retail company choose Hong Kong as a launch pad to expand overseas. Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan metropolis and we take pride in our unique blend of East and West, a rare combination of cultures from around the world. In an era of increasing globalisation, we see our multinational and multicultural society as a source of strength."
He added, "Village Vanguard's strategic decision reflects its clear understanding of the benefits of doing business in Hong Kong. The city offers unique advantages for companies which plan to develop their businesses in the global arena - strategic geographical location, first-class business infrastructure and the free flow of goods and information. Invest Hong Kong looks forward to continuing our assistance to Village Vanguard to support it in its further expansion in Hong Kong and beyond."
About Village Vanguard
Established in September 2009, Village Vanguard Hong Kong is a joint venture between JASDAQ-listed Village Vanguard Japan and Era-Bee Limited. Village Vanguard has opened 323 shops across Japan and Village Vanguard Hong Kong offers a variety of popular Japanese goods. For more information, please visit www.village-v.co.jp.
About Era-Bee Limited
Era-Bee Limited focuses on Japanese language school management, the development of Japanese language teaching materials and is associated with NHK's school to develop communication courses. For more information, please visit www.era-bee.com.
About Invest Hong Kong
Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, supporting overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese businesses to set up and expand in Hong Kong. We provide free advice and customised services to help your business succeed in our vibrant economy. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, November 30, 2009
Issued at HKT 13:02
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