Local News

The Nagasaki branch of the Hakata Daimaru department stores closed its doors on the 31st after 157 years in business, and 25,000 shoppers visited for the last day. The store was founded in 1854 by the Tokushima-ya trading company, and became Nagasaki’s first department store in 1934. It became part of the Daimaru group in 1988. The store closed because it could not keep up with the competition from large suburban stores. Sales during the fiscal year ended in February 2010 were 40% down from the record set in 1998.