Shirokiya was founded in what is now Tokyo, Japan, in 1662 by Hikotaro Omura. This is one of Japan’s oldest retail stores. The original name, Shirokiya Gofukuten, would last for several hundred years. The company started off as a dry goods store, but over time, it expanded and added clothing and other popular items. By 1903, the company had several locations.
The earthquake of 1923 destroyed the original store and a fire in 1932 engulfed another location. Word War II took most of the owners’ assets, however, the company began to use common Western marketing techniques to obtain more sales and this enabled the company to rebuild.
To avoid a hostile takeover, the company was sold to the seven executives of the store in Hawaii. Today, this is the only remaining store, however, this store has been extremely successful, with more than $40 million in revenue in 2007.
Shirokiya offers almost all things Japanese including beer, meals, snacks, gifts, cosmetics, jewelry, books, DVDs, cakes, fashion eyewear, and massage items.
