The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
TOKYO, Japan — Amazon.com Inc. is opening a bar. For 10 days, the web retailer is going to sell beer, wine, sake and cocktails in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza district to promote alcoholic products sold on its website in Japan.
While Amazon has opened physical bookstores, bought Whole Foods and is testing a food market without cash registers at its Seattle headquarters, this is the first time the e-commerce giant will operate an actual bar. It’s part of a bigger push by Amazon to boost its physical presence to promote the array of merchandise sold on its website, and branch into new markets.
“Amazon Bar will offer a wide variety of drinks procured from across the globe, and offer exclusive products as well as samples of products not yet on store shelves,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
Instead of a menu, Amazon’s 78-seat bar will feature an ordering system that will suggest drinks, and also hire sommeliers to dispense wine advice. Nikka whisky, Yebisu beer and other drinks will cost 500 to 1,500 yen ($4.43 to $13.30), and some food will be offered. The pop-up bar will be open for evenings beginning October 20.
The new bar is located a stone’s throw from the Emporio Armani store in Ginza, Tokyo’s prestige shopping district where Apple and Louis Vuitton have flagship outlets.
Fast-growing start-ups like Hettas, Saysh and Moolah Kicks created sneakers designed specifically for active women. The sportswear giants are watching closely.
The companies agreed to cap credit-card swipe fees in one of the most significant antitrust settlements ever, following a legal fight that spanned almost two decades.
In an era of austerity on Wall Street, apparel businesses are more likely to be valued on their profits rather than sales, which usually means lower payouts for founders and investors. That is, if they can find a buyer in the first place.
The fast fashion giant occupies a shrinking middle ground between Shein and Zara. New CEO Daniel Ervér can lay out the path forward when the company reports quarterly results this week.