Seiyu Group


Seiyu GK or Seiyu Group, is a Japanese group of supermarkets, shopping centers and department stores owned by American retail giant Walmart. Its head office is in , Kita, Tokyo.

History

The group was established in December 1946, and was formed in 1956 by Seibu Department Stores, a group company of Seibu Railway. In 1980, Seiyu launched its private brand Mujirushi-Ryōhin. MUJI was transferred to the Ryohin Keikaku Company in 1990, and is no longer part of Seiyu.
On December 31, 2003, Seiyu and Walmart signed a partnership agreement in which Walmart would teach global supply chain practices. Numazu, Shizuoka was the site of the first Seiyu store using Walmart methods.
Walmart bought a 37 percent stake in Seiyu in 2002, and according to a company press release, in late 2005, Walmart acquired a majority stake in the company, which it has since increased to 100% ownership in 2008.
Previously, the company had a registered office in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo.
In 2019, Walmart named Lionel Desclée, formerly of Delhaize and the Belgian pet shop chain Tom&Co, president and CEO of both Seiyu and Walmart Japan. In remarks after his appointment, he said Walmart had no interest in selling Seiyu. However, that June, Walmart outlined plans to relist Seiyu on the stock market.

Stores outside Japan

In addition to its Japanese operations, Seiyu also had department stores operating under its name in Singapore and Hong Kong. The group used to directly operate these stores, but in October 2005, its three Singapore stores were sold to CapitaLand Limited, which transferred them to Beijing Hualian Group later the same year. The group's Hong Kong store in New Town Plaza, Sha Tin was sold to Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited in June 2005, but like the stores in Singapore, continued to operate under the Seiyu name until April 2008. The Singapore stores were then renamed BHG, which stands for "Beijing Hualian Group".

Group companies

Seiyu Group refers to an association of companies, of which The Seiyu, Ltd. is the parent. The companies in Seiyu Group are: