News
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The product mix at Kinokuniya stores
encompasses a wide range of books—of
which 30% are in Japanese—and side-
lines, including manga, anime-related
toys, games, and other media. “Our line
of Japanese manga and anime is unsur-
passed in North America,” Ono said. “A
big part of the appeal for customers is
that we have things you cannot buy any-
where else. We have a special relation-
ship with [publisher] Kadokawa, and
they work exclusively with us on many
items. Manga is definitely the strongest
category, but fashion and design is also
very popular. Another strong category is
literature; what makes us unique is that
we specialize in literary works from
around the world, especially Japanese
and Asian authors.”
Ono stresses that the authentic
Japanese products are part of what has
helped the company keep a foothold in a
very competitive marketplace. Still, the
retailer is a bookseller first, with non-
book items representing 20%–40% of
stock, depending on location.
The stores, said Ono, serve as “ambas-
sadors” for Japanese culture to American
shoppers. The demographic of customers
shopping at the stores has changed over
time. “My impression is that, 20 years
ago, more than half of our customers
came from Japanese backgrounds,” Ono
said. “Today, that number is probably
down to about 20% or less.”
As such, Kinokuniya is becoming
more active in its stores’ communities.
The two bookstores in Texas recently
participated in Texas Independent
Bookstore Day, the New York store rou-
tinely holds author events and book sign-
ings in conjunction with Bryant Park,
and several of the California stores hold
children story-time readings and offer
classes in Japanese subjects, such as ori-
gami paper folding.
The stores are in no way standardized.
“Our goal is to give each store the appeal
of an independent bookstore, rather than
the cold feel of a massive corporation,”
Ono said. “Our slogan is ‘read books,
meet people,’ and tailoring our stores to
the surrounding communities is a key
part of making that slogan a reality. If
you compare our stores in Texas, New
York, Tokyo, and Singapore, you will be
surprised at how much they differ. But
they, as a whole, form the Kinokuniya
brand, of which we are very proud. We
strive to make Kinokuniya not just a
place to buy books, but a place where
people come together and enjoy the
experience.” —Ed Nawotka
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ AUGUST 28, 2017
five stationery stores under the brand
name Mitsuwa.
“We are expanding slowly and deliberately,” Ono said. “Just one or two stores
per year. Last year was phenomenal, as we
saw double-digit percentage increases at
our stores. This year’s increases are more
modest, ranging from about 5%-8%,
depending on the store, but we are still
very happy with the continuous growth.
Adding new stores helped further increase
the total sales for the company.”
Jill McElmurry
1954–2017
Beloved illustrator and friend
IN MEMORIAM
Illustration © Jill McElmurry
lbt_mcelmurry_memorium.indd 1 8/22/17 9:53AM
Feature: Illustrated Gift Books
Issue: Oct. 2
Deadline: Aug. 30
Needed: Information about forthcoming
illustrated books of for adults, including
ar t, photography, architecture, travel, etc.
Pub. dates: January–December 2017
(no reprints). Email pitches to dpatrick@
publishersweekly.com by August 30 and
put “Call for Info: Illustrated Gift Books” in
the subject line.
Call for
Information
Kinokuniya stores are “ambassadors” for
Japanese culture.