According to reports from Japan's Kyodo News, Japanese department store company Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings has announced plans to open its second outlet in Tianjin at the end of 2010 or in spring of 2011.

Isetan entered the Tianjin market in 1993 and it is reported that it will operate this new store in cooperation with a local enterprise. Surrounded by high-end residential property, the department store will cover a total area of about 17,000 square meters.

One of the leading retail groups in Japan, Isetan focuses on the department store business. The company has several department stores in Tokyo, over 30 subsidiaries, and more than 20 years of overseas operating experience. It launched its first overseas store in Singapore in 1972 and currently has four department stores on the Chinese mainland.

As a result of the global financial crisis, Isetan shut down its Jinan store and Shanghai Huating store in 2007 and 2008, respectively. However this did not affect the company's overall development strategy in China. Isetan said that it will continue to enhance overseas business in the future, taking China as the hub.