A new outlet mall has opened in the Odaiba area of Tokyo. In a surprising, yet ingenious move, the shopping mall Venus Fort in Odaiba has turned its entire third floor into an outlet for 49 shops.
The inner city mall opened its doors on 11 December 2009 and, although small in comparison to the outlet malls on the outskirts of the city, is hoping to capture the city’s bargain-hungry shoppers as well as to capitalise on the new wave of rich Chinese tourists who have been coming to Japan since visa restrictions were relaxed earlier this year.
Big-spending Chinese tourists are already coming to Tokyo and buying expensive brand products and as few tour groups have the time to travel out into the suburbs to visit existing outlet malls, Odaiba looks to be in a fantastic position to attract the Chinese tourist dollar.