U.S. guitar maker Fender will open its first-ever store in Japan at the end of this month, opting for the nation’s capital, Tokyo, to make its global retail debut.
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Located in The Ice Cubes building, in the trendy Harajuku-Omotesando district, the 1,068-square-metre, four-storey Fender Tokyo flagship store will open its doors on June 30.
Commissioned by Klein Dytham Architecture, the store will feature the full range of Fender products, including Fender Custom Shop , Made in the U.S. and Made in Japan models, acoustic guitars, ukuleles, amplifiers, pedals and more.
In conjunction with the store opening, Fender will also launch a brand new Made-in-Japan fashion brand, F Is For Fender, available for purchase in the Fender Tokyo flagship store.
On the basement floor, the flagship store will house an original coffee shop, Fender Cafe powered by Verve Coffee Roasters, and an event space that can host various events such as broadcast shows, panel discussions, performances and workshops.
The first floor will feature newly released and featured products including electric and acoustic guitars, basses, artist signature models, and accessories. Visitors will discover all-new, original merchandise exclusive to Fender Flagship Tokyo, which includes clothing, hats, home and office items, stationary, and other lifestyle goods, including the F Is For Fener line, an apparel collection for all men and women inspired by the history of guitar in music culture with an urban, modern spin. All products are sourced and made in Japan and will come in small lot productions.
The second floor of the store will showcase high-quality guitars and basses, made in the USA and Japan, and amplifiers. This floor will also have a soundproof room where visitors can try out instruments on a wide range of amps, while Fender’s third floor will showcase the renowned Fender Custom Shop, also known as the Dream Factory.
“We are excited to share more details on what consumers can experience at our first flagship endeavor opening June 30,” said Edward Cole, president Fender APAC.
“We’ve left no stone unturned in planning and designing every aspect of the musical journey to deliver a complete 360-degree experience for all visitors. Our deep gratitude goes out to our partners, whose unwavering support has helped turn this vision into a reality.”
The global electric guitars market grew from USD 2.84 billion in 2022 to USD 3.04 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 percent, with Asia-Pacific the largest region in the electric guitar market last year, according to Report linker.