CCC launches new cafe business. New specialty coffee cafe brand "Culfe" focuses on flavor and expands "BOOK & CAFE" style stores

2013.11.25 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. Entertainment Business Headquarters

-The first store will open inside the TSUTAYA flagship store in Morioka City on December 5th-

The Entertainment Business Division of Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd., which operates "TSUTAYA," will launch a new cafe business in order to expand its "BOOK & CAFE" style stores, which combine bookstores and cafes. The new cafe brand will be "Culfe," and the first store will open on December 5, 2013, inside MORIOKA TSUTAYA, the flagship TSUTAYA store in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, which will be one of the largest in the Tohoku region.

The newly launched cafe brand "Culfe" offers a selection of specialty coffees that "pursue flavor" by focusing on the origins and farms of the coffee beans and emphasizing the individuality of the beans, proposing a "new trend in cafes" for those who want to enjoy authentic coffee. In addition, the BOOK & CAFE style "Culfe" will offer a food menu that can be eaten with one hand, including hot sandwiches and wrap sandwiches.

Additionally, "Culfe" also offers the convenience of a book and cafe style, allowing customers to purchase books at the cafe's register, so they can purchase the book they want to read with their coffee, and then pay for the book they have chosen at the register of a nearby cafe.

The BOOK&CAFE style is a new style of bookstore that started at TSUTAYA TOKYO ROPPONGI, which opened in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo in 2003. Not only are the book and magazine section and the cafe "side-by-side," but they are seamlessly "integrated" into one, so you can bring books and magazines to the "cafe seats" and read them at your leisure before purchasing them.There are also many "cafe seats" within the "book section," so you can choose a book with a cup of coffee in hand.

TSUTAYA believes that one of the reasons for its record-breaking sales of books and magazines of 110.9 billion yen in the fiscal year ended March 2013 was the expansion of its BOOK & CAFE style bookstores, which offer high customer value.The company has now launched its own cafe business, which will cover everything from sourcing coffee beans to developing and operating menus, and will actively expand the BOOK & CAFE style in new stores and existing stores.
TSUTAYA, which is based on the concept of proposing a new lifestyle, will propose a "BOOK & CAFE" style where customers can enjoy choosing a book while drinking coffee, as well as a new cafe culture called specialty coffee.

New brand "Culfe" brand concept and logo
"Culfe" is a coined word that combines "Culture" and "Cafe."
The "content" provided by TSUTAYA leads to a better future and a richer culture. The name was chosen as a fitting name for a high-quality cafe where customers can enjoy these dishes at their leisure.
The symbol mark depicts an open book and a cup, and is designed to evoke the "BOOK & CAFE" style, which combines a bookstore and a cafe.
The brand name, logo design and concept work were handled by Sayaka Kai, the video director and art director of "outsect."

■Main menu of "Culfe"
[Drink menu]
All coffee is specialty coffee that is sourced from farms and beans with a focus on their original flavor.
・Culfe Original Blend 280 yen
・Culfe Original Blend Ice Cream 300 yen
・Seasonal Select Coffee 450 yen
Other drinks include cafe latte, cafe mocha, organic Darjeeling tea, 100% orange juice, and more.
[Food Menu]
Hot sandwiches from 420 yen
Veggie wrap from 510 yen
Other various sweets

■ Overview of the first store, "Culfe MORIOKA TSUTAYA"
・Store name: Culfe MORIOKA TSUTAYA
Address: 4-40-20 Motomiya, Morioka City
・Business hours: 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM
・Opening date: December 5, 2013 (planned)
・Seating capacity: 171 seats (91 seats in the cafe space + 80 seats in the cafe space inside the bookstore)

Materials related to this matter

CCC launches new cafe business. New specialty coffee cafe brand "Culfe" focuses on flavor and expands "BOOK & CAFE" style stores

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. Entertainment Business Headquarters
Public Relations Officer: Yuta Takahashi TEL: 03-6800-4764