is one of the largest personal computer and consumer electronics retailers in Japan. In 2000, it was the second largest e-commerce company in the country.

Bic Camera is a consumer electronics retailer chain in Japan. Currently, it has 45 stores in 17 prefectures. Bic Camera has a 50% ownership of former rival store Kojima with 143 stores and full ownership of computer store chain Sofmap with 24 stores. A ...

acquired a majority stake in Sofmap in 2006, and turned it into a wholly owned subsidiary in January 2010. Formerly listed on the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...

under the code 2690, Sofmap was delisted on 26 January 2010 after the transaction was completed. As of 2018, Sofmap has 29 stores in 21 districts, mainly in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and

Akihabara is a neighborhood in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan, generally considered to be the area surrounding Akihabara Station (nicknamed ''Akihabara Electric Town''). This area is part of the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts of Chiyoda. There is an ...

History

Sofmap was established by in 1982 as a membership-based software rental business in

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

, followed by branches in

Kanda Kanda may refer to: People *Kanda (surname) * Kanda Bongo Man (born 1955), Congolese soukous musician Places *Kanda, Tokyo, an area in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan ** Kanda Station (Tokyo), a railway station in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo *Kanda River, a riv ...

, and

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

, as well as franchise stores in

Hiyoshi is a part of the city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located within Kōhoku Ward in the northeast of Yokohama City. Overview It is served by Hiyoshi Station on the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and Yokohama Subway. It is approximate ...

and Kawasaki in the

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

. In 1984, Sofmap expanded its business to new and used PC hardware, as well as Nintendo Family Computer and PC software sales. A year later, the software rental business was discontinued after it was declared illegal by the Japanese government. At the beginning of their hardware sales, Sofmap specialized in "box sales", where it set up shops at small-sized commercial buildings in Akihabara and

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Nipponbashi is a shopping district of Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan. The area is centered along Sakaisuji Avenue, extending from the Ebisu-chō Interchange of the Hanshin Expressway in the south, to Nansan-dōri (just east of Nankai Namba Station) in th ...

and sold computers at low prices. In 1986, the company published a free publication titled , which listed computer products and prices. To differentiate themselves from other PC stores, Sofmap introduced their warranty system: five years for new computers and three years for used computers. In anticipation of the PC boom that started with the release of

Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft and the first of its Windows 9x family of operating systems, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged ...

, Sofmap increased its floor space and focused on display sales for new PC users. However, during the mid-1990s, sales declined due to a combination of factors such as falling prices of personal computers, reduced distribution and profitability due to shortened product cycles of used products, and sluggish sales of home video games. In 1997, amidst rumors of the company filing for bankruptcy, Sofmap was purchased by

Marubeni (, OSE: 8002, NSE: 8002) is a '' sōgō shōsha'' (general trading company) headquartered in Otemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest ''sogo shosha'' and has leading market shares in cereal and paper pulp trading as wel ...

. In 2000, Suzuki retired and was replaced by . The sofmap.com website was also established that year. In 2005, Marubeni partially transferred its shares of Sofmap to

, with Bic owning 61.56% of Sofmap by 2006. On January 29, 2010, Sofmap became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bic Camera. On March 1, 2012, the retail division was split and Sofmap Co., Ltd. was established, and the remaining store real estate management division was merged into Bic Camera. On June 5, 2017, Sofmap's main Akihabara branch was converted into a Bic Camera branch while the rest of the Akihabara branches were rebranded as . On October 31, 2019, Sofmap acquired anime shop from Bunkyodo Group Holdings.

Stores

Sofmap has stores in the following locations: ;Tokyo *

Akihabara Station is an interchange railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is at the center of the Akihabara shopping district specializing in electronic goods. Lines Akihabara Station is served by the following lines. JR East: * Tōhoku Main Line ** Ke ...

Square Hall (former Sato Musen and

Yamada Denki is one of the largest consumer electronics retailer chains in Japan. Overview The company was founded in 1973 as a privately owned store. Yamada Denki Co., Ltd. was established in 1983. The current corporation was created on May 21, 1987, by ...

LAB1 store) :* Akiba Digital Building :* Animega x Sofmap Amusement Building *

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro Station, and several shops, restaurants, and department stores are located within city limits. Transportation At the center of Ikebukuro is ...

:* Bic Camera Outlet x Sofmap Ikebukuro East Exit :* Sofmap Re Collection Ikebukuro * Sofmap Re Collection

Shimbashi , sometimes transliterated Shimbashi, is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Name Read literally, the characters in Shinbashi mean "new bridge". History The area was the site of a bridge built across the Shiodome River in 1604. The river was l ...

* Sofmap Re Collection

Nakano Broadway is a shopping mall in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded in 1966 as a luxury shopping complex, it has become a popular destination for goods aimed at ''otaku'' (hobbyists and enthusiasts, particularly those of anime and manga). History Nakano Broadway was ...

Tachikawa file:Autumn colors in Showa memorial park.jpg, 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 househ ...

* Bic Camera x Sofmap Machida ;Kanagawa *

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

:* Bic Camera Outlet x Sofmap Vivre Shop ;Saitama Prefecture * Kawagoe * Ōmiya ; Miyagi Prefecture *

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

:* Sofmap x Animega Sendai Station Square ;Shizuoka Prefecture *

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tok ...

;Aichi Prefecture *

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

:* Sofmap x Animega

Nagoya Station is a major railway station in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Japan. It is Japan's, and one of the world's largest train stations by floor area (410,000 m2), and houses the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). Much of this space ...

West ;Osaka *

Namba Namba (, ) is a district in Chūō and Naniwa wards of Osaka, Japan. It is regarded as the center of Osaka's ''Minami'' ( :ja:ミナミ, "South") region. Its name came from a variation of '' Naniwa'', the former name of Osaka. Namba hosts som ...

:* Animega x Sofmap :* Bic Camera Outlet x Sofmap :* Sofmap Re Collection Namba ;Hyōgo Prefecture * Sofmap x Kojima

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

Harborland ;Hiroshima Prefecture * Sofmap Re Collection

Hiroshima Station is a major railway station in Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Hiroshima Station is the terminal station for several lines, and all San'yō Shinkansen trains stop here. Station layout Hiroshima St ...

Square ;Okayama Prefecture *

Okayama Station is a major railway station in Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The station is operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Okayama Station is one of the major intersections of railways in the Chūgoku region. All trai ...

;Kyushu *

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

:* Sofmap x Animega Tenjin

References

External links

* (Corporate) * Japanese brands Japanese companies established in 1982 Companies formerly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Consumer electronics retailers of Japan Retail companies based in Tokyo Retail companies established in 1982 Video game retailers in Japan {{Japan-company-stub