Japan’s Tsutaya Bookstore will enter the Thai market next month with the opening of its first location in Bangkok.
Located at One Bangkok, the store marks the next phase in the chain’s expansion strategy in Southeast Asia.
Operator Culture Convenience Club first brought Tsutaya to the region in 2022 by opening a store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The chain has so far grown to three locations in the country.
Tsutaya Books Malaysia, a joint venture between Culture Convenience Club and Japanese trading house Sojitz, will also manage the operations in Thailand, in partnership with Thai bookstore chain Asia Books.
According to Nikkei, Tsutaya plans to operate under a model that goes beyond simply selling books, as the chain looks to capture the rising interest in Japanese culture, such as anime and manga.
Masashi Tabata, CEO of Tsutaya Books Malaysia, told Nikkei that Thailand has strong potential for expanding IP-related merchandise and other initiatives. He added that the chain is looking into opening additional stores in the country.
Tsutaya was founded in the 1980s as a single store selling records in Osaka. It later expanded and evolved into store formats in line with changing consumer trends.
The chain now operates approximately 600 stores across Japan. Before entering Southeast Asia, it had expanded to China and Taiwan.
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