East Point Centre SOGO Night view 201511

Sogo Hong Kong () is one of

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

's largest department stores. First established by Japanese retailers, Sogo Co., Ltd. ( Japanese: 株式会社そごう), the department store is now owned by Lifestyle International Holdings (). In addition to the flagship store in

Causeway Bay Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...

, Sogo Hong Kong operates a second store in

Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui ( zh, c=尖沙咀), often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed ...

Kowloon Kowloon () is one of the areas of Hong Kong, three areas of Hong Kong, along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It is an urban area comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It has a population of 2,019,533 and a populat ...

. Sogo Hong Kong has been a member of the

International Association of Department Stores The International Association of Department Stores (IADS) is a retail trade association founded in 1928 by a group of department stores with the goal of introducing modern management methods derived from the scientific management movement to the ...

since 2013.

History

In April 1984, the

Causeway Bay station Causeway Bay () is an underground metro station on the MTR network in Hong Kong. It is located between and stations on the , and sits underneath Great George Street near Hennessy Road and Yee Wo Street. Named for the Causeway Bay area and it ...

construction site was sold by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to

Taisei Corporation is a Japanese corporation founded in 1873. Its main areas of business are building construction, civil engineering, and real estate development. Taisei's headquarters are located at Shinjuku Center Building in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo. ...

for $380m. Following construction, Sogo Hong Kong, originally parented by Sogo Japan (Japanese: そごう), commenced its operations on 31 May 1985 in

, Hong Kong. Situated on

Hennessy Road Hennessy Road () is a thoroughfare on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It connects Yee Wo Street on the east in Causeway Bay, at the junction with East Point Road, Jardine's Bazaar and Great George Street, Hong Kong, Great George Street in East ...

, the Japanese styled department store has become an important retail

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

of Hong Kong. In 1993, it underwent major renovations to become "Jumbo SOGO", expanding its area from to . In 2000, Japan's Sogo declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

under a US$17 billion

debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money Loan, borrowed or otherwise withheld from another party, the creditor. Debt may be owed by a sovereign state or country, local government, company, or an individual. Co ...

. The Hong Kong store was subsequently acquired by Lifestyle International Holdings. In 2005, Sogo Hong Kong opened a second store in

. It was located underground, below Salisbury Road. The location was formerly the site of The Palace Mall (1997-2001) and Teddy Bear Kingdom (2002-2005). In 2014, Sogo relocated across Salisbury Road next to Sheraton Hong Kong, encompassing a total floor area of . This location closed on 12 March 2023 and is to be relocated to Kai Tak. The new location is expected to open in 2024.

Business

Sogo Hong Kong's flagship store is spread across eighteen floors of retail space. The store carries mid to high-end clothing brands, sports wear, children's wear, cosmetics, appliances, bedding, and housewares. Sogo Hong Kong also operates the popular Japanese supermarket, Freshmart.

Buildings, lands, and fire safety violations

Sogo's Causeway Bay store is located in a building called East Point Centre, which consists of an "Old Wing" and a "New Wing". The 11th to 16th floors of the New Wing were renovated around 2004 in order to expand the department store's retail space. Several legal irregularities surrounding these floors have been uncovered. In 2021, Hong Kong investigative news agency FactWire reported that Sogo's use of the upper storeys of the New Wing was unauthorised by the lands and buildings authorities. The building's Deed of Mutual Covenant designates the 12th to 16th floors as office areas, whereas in reality these floors are now used as part of the department store. In addition, drawings that Sogo submitted to the Buildings Department in 2004, prior to the renovation, marked the 11th to 16th floors of the New Wing as offices. The 11th floor is, in reality, also part of the department store. FactWire also discovered apparent violations of fire codes, with egress routes and dimensions not meeting safety requirements. In addition, the news agency noted that the 11th to 16th floors of the New Wing had been registered as clubs under the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance since 2005. The 11th floor is licensed as "Sogo Book Club", while the 12th to 16th floors are licensed as "Sogo Club". According to the law, only members and their guests have a right to use licensed clubhouses. However, until 2021 (when Sogo was contacted by FactWire), the clubhouse levels were open to the public. A cafeteria on the 11th floor operated without a restaurant licence, which is permitted because the space is registered as a clubhouse. In addition, the clubhouse designation could allow Sogo to reduce their profits tax liability. Sogo did not comment on whether or not the company had applied for tax exemptions on the basis of the clubhouse licence.

Thankful Week

Sogo's "Thankful Week" is as a semi-annual period in which many of Sogo's brands hold special promotions, often offering steep discounts to their products. Similar to Black Friday, the event is considered a cultural phenomenon among local shoppers and tourists alike.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.sogo.com.hk/ Retail companies established in 1985 Department stores of Hong Kong Causeway Bay Tsim Sha Tsui 1985 establishments in Hong Kong