Tokyo: Mie Project opens first store named Choosee

Mie Project will open their first store under the CHOOSEE name on 17 September 2011. It will be a small store near Omotesando, a well-known fashionable shopping district in Tokyo. Mie Project hopes that this will be a great opportunity to increase awareness and trial for the products they are importing. The store will offer the company’s whole range of packaged organic food and drinks, from over 20 suppliers and approaching 200 items, which continues to expand rapidly. Over time, they plan to find ways to link with locally grown organic fresh produce. After the triple disaster in Japan, organic products are still grown and sold. The further away from Fukushima (e.g. in Hokkaido in the North; Kyushu in the South, also locations on the west coast), the greater the possibilities are for cultivation safe from radiation. In the meantime, more and more radiation testing is being conducted.
 
Mie Project are collaborating with Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon (SSF Tokyo), a major global advertising agency, to launch and promote the shop. Mie Project have been keen to set up a pilot shop to enable direct contact with consumers and accelerate awareness and trial for the brands and products they deal with. Duco Delgorge, President of Mie Project, also feels this is an excellent way to support their retail customers. They are happy to partner with an advertising agency which recognizes the future of sustainable and ethical food retailing. From SSF Tokyo’s viewpoint there is no better way to understand ever-evolving consumer preferences and behavior than to actually have an operating store within their midst. Sustainable, ethical, organic and premium represents the cutting edge of consumer food products shopping behavior in Japan as well as in other countries, so it is seen as a great learning opportunity. SSF Tokyo believe in the products and approach Mie Project has taken and welcome the opportunity to support them. Mie Project has ambitious expansion plans for the future. However, Duco Delgorge stresses that they will keep in mind the mood of the Japanese people and state of the economy, as well as that of the global economy, and expand accordingly.