TSUTAYA's annual book and magazine sales reach a record high of 130.8 billion yen

2017.02.03 Press Releases
TSUTAYA Co., Ltd.

- Five innovations in book and magazine sales -

TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / President and COO: Nakanishi Kazuo / hereinafter referred to as "TSUTAYA"), which operates bookstores nationwide, is pleased to announce that its book and magazine sales from January to December 2016 reached 130.8 billion yen (812 stores nationwide), surpassing its previous record for the 22nd consecutive year since 1994. According to our research, TSUTAYA is the largest bookstore chain in Japan in terms of total sales.

Annual sales trends (1995-2016, January-December)

The reason behind the record-breaking total annual sales in 2016 is that, based on an analysis of consumer trends using the "T Card" database, in addition to the diversification of hobbies and interests, the company has strengthened its product lineup to suit the characteristics of each store's trade area and the attributes of its customers, thereby thoroughly working to create a bookstore that offers "lifestyle suggestions" and achieves high customer satisfaction. Please see below for details.

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

Going forward, TSUTAYA will continue to pursue the "value of books," bringing customers the joy of discovering books and reading, while also proposing new lifestyles that are fueled by books.

Five innovations

① Opening new stores with unique characteristics in each region
We have opened new stores by proposing a new lifestyle inspired by books, creating spaces that offer unprecedented comfort, while also offering a product lineup that meets the characteristics of each store's trade area and customer needs.

・TSUTAYA Utsukushigaoka (Hokkaido/Sapporo)

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

Based on the concept of "a space where you can find yourself," this is one of the largest BOOK & cafes in Hokkaido, targeting women in their 30s to 50s and making use of the region's characteristics to propose a richer, more cultured lifestyle. It opened in September 2016 as a place to "encounter books," featuring high-quality design goods for everyday life and bookshelves arranged by lifestyle genre. *Photo on the right

・"TSUTAYA BOOK STORE Umeda MeRISE, STARTUP CAFE Osaka ~KANDAI Me RISE~" (Kita-ku, Osaka)

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

TSUTAYA BOOK STORE Umeda MeRISE, the first store to open on a university campus, is based on the concept of "a place where you can find comfort" and houses a BOOK & cafe where you can enjoy reading while sipping coffee and selecting books and miscellaneous goods, as well as STARTUP CAFE Osaka ~KANDAI Me RISE~, a base for supporting entrepreneurship in collaboration with Kansai University and industry. *Photo on the right

・TSUTAYA BOOK GARAGE Fukuoka Shime (Fukuoka/Shime)

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

The store is modeled after the American West Coast and is centered around one of Japan's largest used book sections. This complex boasts one of the largest selections of books in Japan, with approximately 430,000 used books and 120,000 new books, totaling approximately 550,000 books. It also offers traditional DVD and CD rentals, sales, recycling, stationery, TSUTAYA's original smartphone, TONE, and three restaurants where you can enjoy a relaxing time. *Photo on the right

②Renovation of existing stores
We have also proactively renovated existing stores to become "lifestyle proposal" stores that allow customers to enjoy a fulfilling time, in line with the characteristics of each region.

・TSUTAYA Sangenjaya store (Tokyo/Setagaya):
Targeting families, the store will offer stationery goods, trading cards, and the new TSUTAYA original smartphone, TONE. Furthermore, the bookstore has undergone a major renovation to enhance its pop culture offerings, making it a "holy land of comics" with one of the largest comic rental and sales inventories in Tokyo, and also incorporating a number of unique event plans, such as "Sancha Comic Live," where manga artists can actually draw their manuscripts in the store.

・Tsutaya Bookstore Kumamoto Sannenzaka (Kumamoto/Kumamoto)

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

Aiming to become a "cultural forest for the city," the store opened to promote a lifestyle centered around books. This newly renovated bookstore is a new cultural hub with a total of 22 stores, including Starbucks Coffee, four restaurants, @cosme store, KALDI, and local shops. *Photo on the right

3) Proposals utilizing databases
By conducting detailed ordering based on an analysis of consumer trends using the database of "T Card," which has over 60 million members, we have achieved a product lineup that satisfies customers.

④ "Airbook" is a digital book service that allows you to read books on your smartphone just by showing your T-Card.

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

The digital services "Airbook" and "Digital Benefits" have been expanded, and the proposal for a new reading experience in both paper and digital formats has been well received, with the number of magazines available on "Airbook" expanding to 532 titles. Since the service began, sales of the target magazines have increased by 5.6% compared to the industry average (according to our own research).
*"Airbook": A service that allows you to view the digital version for free when you present your T-Card at TSUTAYA and purchase eligible products.
*"Digital Bonuses": A service where you can purchase or rent books, CDs/DVDs, games, character goods, etc. at participating TSUTAYA stores nationwide by presenting your T-Card and automatically download "digital bonuses" for books and supplements related to the eligible products, which you can enjoy for free.

⑤Discover out-of-print books and authors with the help of book "connoisseur" recommenders
The "Reprint Produced Library" project began on February 9, 2016, in which book connoisseurs from TSUTAYA bookstore staff across the country select "really recommended works" from among out-of-print books and reprint them.
Furthermore, the initiative has been expanded to the comics genre with the "Comic Reprint Project," and projects such as "New Release Produced Paperbacks" and "New Release Produced Comics," which bring to the world books that have not yet been released, are being planned, with TSUTAYA bookstore staff from all over the country using various methods to discover and propose new books.

[TSUTAYA's book and magazine-related business]

This is an image explaining that TSUTAYA's total annual sales of books and magazines reached a record high of 130.8 billion yen.

■ Number of TSUTAYA stores: 1,400 stores in Japan + 21 stores in Taiwan, totaling 1,421 stores (as of January 10, 2017)
■TBN (TSUTAYA BOOK NETWORK): A general term for the network of franchises within the "TSUTAYA" store chain that primarily sell books and magazines.

Materials related to this matter

TSUTAYA's annual book and magazine sales reach a record high of 130.8 billion yen

Inquiries regarding this matter
TSUTAYA Corporation Public Relations Unit TEL: 03-6800-4764

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