Japanese doujin store Toranoana will close five directly-operated stores at the end of August

The Japanese doujin store "Toranoana" recently announced that due to the impact of the epidemic, its five directly-operated stores, including Akihabara Store A, Shinjuku Store, Chiba Store, Nanba Store, and Umeda Store, will be closed on August 31. In addition, it has decided to abandon the opening plan of the Nagoya store. Currently, only Ikebukuro Store B, which mainly sells doujin books for women, is retained.

The official said that since 2020, the store business has been greatly affected by the new crown epidemic, and there is still no sign of recovery. The company deeply apologizes for its lack of effort, expresses sincere gratitude to customers for their continued support, and deeply apologizes for any inconvenience caused to customers.

Although there are fewer directly-operated stores, Toranoana has been expanding its in-shop business (a business model in which stores are located inside department stores or large commercial complexes). Since the year before last, the in-store business has expanded to more than 10 stores. In addition, the official plan is to open new stores in Toyama Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, and Shizuoka Prefecture in July, August, and September.

Officials said that in order to deliver the works of creators to more users, they will continue to promote the development of in-shop business nationwide, including in areas where direct stores are unsustainable. "Toranoana" will continue to play a core role in Akihabara in the future. Officials will prepare to open a gallery store that can hold illustration exhibitions, explore new store formats, and continue to discuss reopening. All customers will be notified again when the store reopens.