Sogo Co., Ltd. (株式会社そごう) is a department store chain that is very important in Japan. It has stores in many countries around the world and has been around since 1830. The company was started in Osaka, Japan, by a man named Ihei Sogō. Sogo is known for selling clothing, household items, and food.
In 2009, Sogo combined with Seibu Department Stores (株式会社西武百貨店) to create a new company called Sogo & Seibu Co., Ltd. (株式会社そごう・西武). This change made Sogo part of Seven & I Holdings, a larger company that also owns other famous stores like 7-Eleven.
Before, Sogo had stores in many places, including Beijing, China; Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (before 1997); Taipei, Taiwan; Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Singapore; Bangkok, Thailand; and London, United Kingdom. However, most of these stores have closed or are now run by independent owners.
History
Sogo was founded in 1830 in Osaka, Japan, as a second-hand kimono shop named "Yamatoya" located near the Shima Shrine in the Namba district. The shop was started by Ihei Sogō, who was the son of Tokubei Jūgō. Tokubei had previously run a silk shop in Tōichi, Yamato Province. The shop’s early success was helped by its family crest, a symbol inspired by the silk industry that represented the movement of a loom.
In 1872, the business changed from selling second-hand items to selling new clothing and moved to Andojibashi, Osaka. By 1877, the store relocated again to Shinsaibashi and was renamed Jūgō Clothing Store.
To meet growing demand from customers in Kobe, Sogo opened a branch in Aioicho, Kobe, on June 25, 1899. This store later moved to Motomachi, Kobe, on April 3, 1901. In 1933, Sogo expanded into retail by opening a full department store in the Sannomiya Station building, becoming one of the first stores in Kobe to use the name "Kobe Sogo."
The company grew rapidly. In 1935, Sogo opened a new flagship store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, designed by architect Tōgo Murano. The building was a modernist design with a glass-block facade and included features like a theater, tea room, and VIP lounges. The store was built in two phases, with the second phase funded by the Itaya family, ending the Jūgō family’s direct management.
In 1940, the company officially adopted the name "Jūgō" as its brand. After World War II, in 1969, the name changed to "Sogo," which is still used today.
During World War II, shortages of non-rationed goods left space in the Osaka store unused. To help customers, Sogo began offering a "household property storage" service in the basement to protect valuables. This service became popular in Osaka.
After the war, the Osaka flagship store was taken over by occupying forces and used as a PX (Post Exchange) store for military personnel and their families, stopping regular department store operations. In response, Sogo opened stores for foreign residents in Osaka, including the "Overseas Surprise Store," which sold imported goods.
In 1952, after a campaign by the Japan Department Store Association, Sogo’s Osaka store reopened on June 1. However, sales struggled for a year due to the long closure. The company also faced challenges from low stock prices and attempts by outside investors to take control. These problems led to Sogo’s eventual growth into one of Japan’s largest department store chains.
For many years, Sogo’s headquarters was in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, with stores in Osaka and Kobe. In 1957, the company opened a store in Yurakucho, Tokyo, with the slogan "Let’s Meet in Yurakucho," which became a cultural event. Both the Osaka and Tokyo stores were used for filming, and Sogo provided costumes for these productions.
In 1967, Sogo opened its Chiba Sogo store, which was very successful. This led to rapid expansion in Tokyo’s suburbs, especially along National Route 16. The company’s capital structure was complex, with regional stores funded by Chiba Sogo. Before bankruptcy, Sogo directly managed only three stores: in Osaka (Shinsaibashi), Kobe (Sannomiya), and Tokyo (Yurakucho), while other stores were operated by regional subsidiaries.
In 1985, Sogo opened its Yokohama store, which became the largest Sogo store in terms of sales and floor space, covering 83,654 square meters. At its peak, Sogo operated over 30 stores worldwide and became Japan’s leading department store group in 1992, surpassing Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya in sales.
Despite its growth, Sogo faced serious financial problems in the 1990s after Japan’s economic bubble collapsed and real estate prices dropped. This led to bankruptcy in 2000. The company’s financial troubles were mainly due to unstable real estate investments by its former chairman, Hiroo Mizushima, and owed about $17 billion to the Industrial Bank of Japan. On July 12, 2000, Sogo filed for bankruptcy protection under the Civil Rehabilitation Law at the Osaka District Court.
To address its financial issues, Sogo sold unprofitable stores in Japan and abroad, including locations in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Taipei. The company was restructured with help from Seibu Department Stores and merged with Seibu in 2003 under the holding company Millennium Retailing. This marked a major turning point for Sogo.
Today, Sogo operates as a subsidiary of Millennium Retailing, later rebranded as Sogo & Seibu, under the ownership of Seven & I Holdings. Some overseas stores continue as independent franchises, helping raise additional capital.
Locations
Sogo once had stores in many international locations, including Beijing, Taipei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, and London. However, many of these overseas stores have closed, with some operated by independent businesses.
In 2018, Sogo Department Store had locations in Yokohama, Chiba, Hiroshima, Omiya, Kawaguchi, Seishin, and Tokushima.
In August 2020, Sogo closed its stores in Seishin and Tokushima. The Kawaguchi store closed in February 2021 because of fewer customers.
Sogo Department stores in China are operated by Pacific Sogo, a company based in Taiwan. As of August 2007, stores were located in Beijing, three in Shanghai, two in Chengdu, two in Chongqing, and one in Dalian. It appears that all of these branches have shut down.
In 2004, Jiuguang Department Store in Shanghai opened as a partnership between Lifestyle International Holdings of Hong Kong (owner of Sogo Hong Kong) and the state-owned Joinbuy Group of Shanghai. The store is located in the Jing'an District near Jing'an Temple on West Nanjing Road. The store’s design copied the layout of Sogo Hong Kong, including a high-end supermarket called Freshmart and a beauty store named Beaute @ Jiuguang.
The store also introduced exclusive designers, many of whom had their first store in Mainland China, such as Thomas Pink, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Vivienne Westwood. Currently, Jiuguang has stores in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Dalian.
The Causeway Bay store on Hong Kong Island opened in 1985. It was later called "Jumbo Sogo" after it expanded.
After Sogo Group went out of business in Japan following the Asian financial crisis, the 40,500-square-meter retail property in Causeway Bay was sold for US$453.6 million to Thomas Lau of Chinese Estates and Henry Cheng of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises. Lifestyle International helped the new owners take Sogo public in 2004.
Sogo Hong Kong Co. Ltd., the Sogo franchisee, now operates one additional store in Tsim Sha Tsui, which opened on September 30, 2005, marking the 25th anniversary of Sogo in Hong Kong. The Causeway Bay store added a large extension that opened on November 22, 1993. The expanded store includes items in all product categories across its 15-story building. It features the Sogo Club, Sogo Book Club, and a new annex called Beauté by Sogo. The Tsim Sha Tsui branch focuses on designer fashions.
Lifestyle International Holdings Limited, the parent company of Sogo, was listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on April 15, 2004. It is a member of the International Association of Department Stores.
In Indonesia, Sogo is operated by PT Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk (which also operates Seibu, a sister department store chain) through its subsidiary PT Panen Lestari Indonesia (acquired by Mitra Adiperkasa in 2003). The first Sogo store in Indonesia opened in 1990 at Plaza Indonesia. It closed in February 2006 for mall renovations. The flagship store and management office were moved to Plaza Senayan, now the largest Sogo store with six levels. All Sogo stores in Indonesia are located in high-end shopping malls.
PT. Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk., commonly known as MAP, also operated a supermarket called The Foodhall, previously named Sogo Supermarket. The Sogo Supermarket brand, introduced in Plaza Indonesia in 1990, was gradually replaced by The Foodhall as a modern supermarket concept. The first new Foodhall store opened in 2005 at Pondok Indah Mall, later evolving into The Foodhall. The supermarket was also located in Senayan City (part of the now-closed Debenhams), Grand Indonesia (part of Seibu), and Central Park’s extension, Neo Soho Mall (renamed Central Park 2 in 2025). Other Foodhall branches operate independently or under the Daily Supermarket brand, which targets middle-class customers. Daily Supermarket opened in 2014 at Paris Van Java.
Sogo stores without supermarkets include Planet Sports, Kidz Station (both MAP’s in-house brands), Sports Direct Starbucks, Paul, and Chatterbox Cafe. A Books Kinokuniya store once operated in the upper level of Sogo Plaza Senayan as its Indonesian flagship store but closed on April 1, 2021, later reopening in a smaller format.
Sogo currently has four stores in Malaysia. The first store, KL Sogo, is located on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in downtown Kuala Lumpur, connected to the Bandaraya LRT station by a bridge. It opened on January 18, 1994, on the site formerly occupied by Suleiman Courts. It has a basement parking area for visitors.
Sogo’s second store in Malaysia opened on April 11, 2019, at Central i-City shopping mall in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam. The third store opened on April 23, 2019, at The Mall – Midvalley Southkey in Johor Bahru.
Sogo (KL) Department Store Sdn Bhd announced plans to open new stores in Paragon @ KL Northgate in Selayang and GEM Megamall in Seberang Perai, Penang. It also planned to open a Seibu store in Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) Lifestyle Quarter in Kuala Lumpur, which opened on November 29, 2023.
Sogo also manages the operations of Mayang Mall in Kuala Terengganu, serving as its anchor tenant. Mayang
Logo
Since it was created, Sogo has used a logo that is based on the family crest (mon, which means emblem) of a silk shop. The design — a circle with a shape inside — shows where the company started in the kimono industry and symbolizes the process of winding a loom (called chikiri in Japanese). In Japanese, the word "chikiri" also means the act of taking a vow or making a promise.
Gallery
- SOGO in Shinsaibashi 1, Osaka, now Daimaru
- SOGO in Shinsaibashi 2, Osaka, now Daimaru
- SOGO in Kashiwa, Chiba
- SOGO in Tokushima, Tokushima
- SOGO in Yokohama, Kanagawa
- SOGO in Chiba, Chiba
- SOGO in Hiroshima, Hiroshima
- SOGO in Kobe, Hyogo, now Kōbe Hankyū
- SOGO in Kawaguchi, Saitama
- SOGO in Kokura, now Isetan (currently Colet)
- SOGO Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
- SOGO Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
- SOGO Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- SOGO Pondok Indah Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia
- SOGO Tunjungan Plaza, Surabaya, Indonesia