Responding to the fan’s enthusiasm with a challenging spirit
How to make an “exciting store” the Avex’s way

At the foot of the TOKYO SKYTREE’s shopping complex, “Tokyo Solamachi”, lies Tree Village, the “official store for integrated entertainment goods”. Tree Village, which has been open since the beginning of TOKYO SKYTREE in 2012, celebrates its 12th year this year. So far, it has opened a second store in Osaka, and a third in Hakata, and launched an e-commerce site. We can say that this project ran by Avex Music Creative Inc. (hereinafter referred to as AMC) is unique among other groups within the company for handling IPs other than their own. This time, we spoke to three guests–Hiromasa Kijima, Kiyono Nakajima, and Honami Mito—who are the backbones of Tree Village. From there, we can uncover the retail strategy that ties each IPs and the fans with “passion”.

A beginning full of challenges
exploring unknown territories

Kijima "To begin with, I think a record company entering a retail business in itself was very unusual, and it was a challenge.”

Kijima, speaking about the launch of Tree Village, entered the company exactly 10 years ago. He became involved in this project during his previous career in the entertainment retail industry. Eventually utilizing his experiences, he joined Avex and arrived at his current position.

Kijima "When SKYTREE and Solamachi opened in 2012, Tree Village was a project started as an official shop for TV stations at the foot of the new broadcasting tower, SKYTREE. Take locations like Tokyo Station for example, they have official stores directly managed by each broadcasting station. Whereas, Tree Village launched as a store that handles items from five commercial stations. Therefore, Avex, which not only takes a neutral position among all commercial stations but also leads in the entertainment genre, was appointed to this management."

Taking this opportunity, a new department was created within the company: a sincere store management that actively deals with IPs other than their own – currently overcoming various challenges through trial and error, Avex is venturing into unknown territory.

They started with no specialized expertise accumulated within the company. “When we first started, every day was a series of challenges,” Kijima reflects with a laugh. Throughout the last 12 years, his team has dedicated themselves to making the store more attractive.

The store and the fan’s
enthusiasm enhanced the space

Mito, who studied the entertainment business and has been managing e-commerce since joining the company, now applies those experiences to work on event planning for Tree Village.

Mito "Initially, Tree Village only handled merchandise related to TV programs, but now we include various products from various categories such as music artists, Vtuber, and games. In recent years, we have seen an increase in international customers, and appreciated by customers diverse with interests, regardless of their nationality."

Tree Village aims to “provide an exciting moment for customers,” serving as a place for diverse customers visiting with their own interests. They are operating the store with a vision where one can “spend half a day,” not only indulging oneself in shopping but eating, drinking, and taking memorable photos. They want to deliver an experience that goes beyond just shopping. They say that the turning point in strengthening this Tree Village’s principle was the “collaboration cafe”.

Tree Village’s collaboration cafe serves collaborative food menus featuring various IPs each month. One characteristic is that visitors can freely enjoy the space while enjoying their meals rather than having a fixed seating arrangement. The time when diverse fans spend while shopping will be cherished as a special memory.

Kijima "The Tree Village’s biggest hurdle and the turning point was the collaboration cafe that we first launched in 2015. We had more customers than ever before, and we were convinced that this was what was expected of us. Once, there was a queue of over 1,500 people before the store’s opening time at 8:30 in the morning. Witnessing the fans' energy with my own eyes just made me feel determined.”

Nakajima, who had been interested in this Tree Village project and joined by “putting herself forward”, constantly feels encouraged by the fans’ enthusiasm at the store.

Nakajima "Every month, we open a new collaboration cafe and pop-up store, starting each plan about 6 months in advance. We are always grateful for the enthusiastic response we receive each time we announce a new collaboration."

Building trust through consistently
responding to the fans’ passion

Nakajima looks back on the time when she collaborated with a Vtuber’s hololive.

Nakajima "One of the events that achieved much popularity last year was a collaboration cafe and a pop-up store with hololive. This is our third collaboration with hololive, and for events like this, it is often common to lose popularity after several times, but the third round was just as lively. Undoubtedly, the enjoyment of these events is not only attributed to the trust-based relationship with the IP rights holders but also to fans recognizing the added value offered by Tree Village and fully immersing themselves in the experience. "

The value of Tree Village further enriches and grows through the interaction of fans’ enthusiasms and the passionate response of the content-creating staff, reacting to each other’s energy. Naturally, continuously living up to fans’ expectations means there will always be new challenges for Tree Village to encounter.

However, this rich advancement reached a crucial milestone during the spring of 2020 with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Deep understanding and affection towards work
Customers’ smiles that were visible past the painful pandemic

Unsurprisingly, Tree Village’s store attracted few customers due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Depending on the circumstances, Tokyo Solamachi itself, where Tree Village is located, has shut down, making the situation extremely difficult.

Nakajima "Solamachi truly became deserted, with hardly anyone passing by despite our store being open. From there on, we decided to fully embrace e-commerce sites. During that period, many of us were unaccustomed to e-commerce but I feel like we gradually were able to operate it with the guidance of other staff from various departments. ”

Although they began e-commerce with unfamiliarity as a result of the pandemic, they already had confidence and experience from embarking on the new territory of “a retail business that handles IPs other than their own”. They embraced this challenge with positivity as well.

Nakajima "According to the most recent data, there have been occasions where e-commerce sales have exceeded those of the physical stores. I think the seeds we sowed back then have started to sprout. ”

Kijima "While new challenges and significant changes like these are certainly necessary, for us I believe that small daily changes are equally important. I have the impression that we have come this far by embracing new things every day and adapting to evolving trends.”

They have learned firsthand the importance of adapting to changes flexibly rather than simply repeating the so-called standard routine. On the other hand, as he reflects on the pandemic, Kijima notes that there were undoubtedly some positive aspects about remaining persistent in their decision-making.

Kijima "There were instances when Solamachi itself was closed, but we never took a day off when we were allowed to open. We were always faced with the risk of our efforts going to waste after the store preparation, and there were many stores and facilities that gave up during this period. However, at Tree Village, we ran all pop-up stores and collaboration cafes which were individually planned and assembled by our staff. Despite feeling the weight of the situation, we knew the makers and the licensors were also facing challenges at the time, so we steadied efforts to open the store and generated sales for our partners, no matter how small it may have been. ”

Kijima continues, “Eventually, the sales made a V-shaped recovery from the end of the pandemic, and we were frequently asked, “Why such a significant increase?” even within the company. While it is true that the number of customers returning to the city is one element, the primary factor is the strong trust we have built with the partners who own the IP rights and overcame the unprecedented pandemic alongside us. Due to this trust, we continue to prioritize the handling of the most popular IPs. We believe this level of trust is also the major contributing factor."

The bond which was established during the pandemic is now shining on the future of Tree Village. The vitality has returned to the store and many customers are visiting again. The joy is astonishing.

Nakajima "It’s always wild and hectic here, but it encourages me when I see customers looking forward to the store, queuing up, and directly see them buying the merchandise. I think this experience is probably a department-specific thing.”

Mito "Progressing with new events as they come one after another is my daily routine. It is essential to study the works of the collaborators and deeply understand their appeal to effectively collaborate on products. This involved deciding on cafe items and even designing the store’s POP. While paying attention to every little detail is not easy, seeing the joy it brings to our customers, I truly believe that it makes it all worthwhile.”

Launching collaboration cafes and pop-up stores monthly, in addition to regular store operation, keeps the pace moving at weekly intervals. While deeply immersed in the unique worlds of each work, there is a constant sense of new events approaching. What fuels the staff on such demanding schedules are the customers' smiling faces, simple yet irreplaceable. Seeing those smiles daily at the store may be the most attractive aspect of working for Tree Village.

Things they can only do
Foundation and driving forces
that allows them to continue challenging

How do the three guests envision the future of Tree Village?

Kijima "Now that the pandemic is over, commercial facilities across the country are increasingly creating areas for entertainment. Consequently, a growing number of facilities are approaching us to open stores. We are therefore aiming to open more Tree Village stores and raise recognition nationwide.”

Moreover, since the pandemic, they feel that there has been a demand for physical spaces where fans can gather to interact with each other. The significance of enhancing the customers' experience beyond their shopping time is intensifying. In addition to collaboration cafes and pop-up stores, they are considering further developing and expanding events such as mystery-solving events, where participants have to find hints scattered around the area, and family-friendly events, where the store interior is decorated to look like a summer festival.

Mito "We can directly grip the customers’ enthusiasm and interest levels at the store. Utilizing this to our maximum advantage, we aim to accurately deliver events that incorporate the originality and appeals of each IPs.”

In that sense, the store becomes a space where fans’ expectations intersect with each staff member's passionate responses. Both parties contribute to enhancing the store’s attractiveness, fostering its uniqueness, and creating distinction from other stores. Among these contributions, what are the strengths of AMC?

Kijima "There are many things that only our department can do and many things we can do as part of Avex. I also believe that these capabilities are what define our store. From recent examples, launching an official shop for BMSG and organizing collaboration events with Tohoshinki were made possible solely due to Avex’s group synergy. ”

Indeed, since they know those were made possible due to the numerous accomplishments and trusts that Tree Village has obtained over the years, they will always keep in mind their passion and challenging spirit that drives them to strive for something better.

Kijima "Avex is certainly a company that acknowledges you to take on challenges. I think starting Tree Village was quite a challenge in itself, but the company is quick to approve changes and ideas we want to pursue. I think it's a company that encourages us to take risks and give new things a try. Speaking frankly, the decision to launch the Osaka and Hakata stores was made during the pandemic. While many began to see a glimpse of hope at that time, a lot of companies still hesitated. However, in times like those, we have achieved the results we have today because we received encouragement from the company, which urged us to approach challenges with opposite thinking."

Driven by passionate fans, enthusiastic staff, and the unique spirit of Avex, Tree Village will continue to take on challenges to bring smiles to the faces of each and every customer.