Ikebukuro Marui was a familiar site for those who grew up or visited the west side of Ikebukuro.
Ikebukuro Marui which opened in Ikebukuro back in 1952, moved to its current location back in 1977 and has been there for the last 44 years.
The reason for the closing of the store is that the building is aging and the closing of the building was planned before the novel coronavirus pandemic.
With the closing of the store, a sale entitled “Goodbye Great Thanksgiving” will be held at the store. For the last business day, about 100 people waited in line before the store opened.
The department store was crowded with shoppers all day long, with some racks sold out and empty on the last business day.
One family member said, “I used to go shopping (at Ikebukuro Marui) with my family on the weekends. I will miss it. I’m wondering what kind of store will be opened next”.
On the 4th floor of the store, a message of gratitude from patrons is posted on the entire wall. As of August 28th, more than 8,000 messages were posted. In addition, outside the store, some people took a commeorative photo with their smartphones. Before the closing time of 6:30 p.m., customers gathered at the front entrance to see the closing moment.
The store manager of Ikebukuro Marui then came to the stage and said, “The staff have worked together to create a pleasing business. During that time, many customers came to our store and shared many words of ‘thank you’ to us. It was great encouragement for us and we are pleased. Thank you very much”.
