News Fender to open flagship store in Tokyo

The 1,068-sq,-meter emporium will open June 30 in the Harajuku-Omotesando district, a trendy Tokyo neighbourhood hub of fashion and youth culture. The store will be where "people get to experience the Fender brand," Edward Cole, the company's president for Asia-Pacific, told Nikkei Asia. "Fender, throughout history, has not only shaped musical culture ... it's shaped popular culture." [...] Fender estimates that 30 million people worldwide have taken up the guitar since the pandemic. Japan is Fender's third-largest market, behind the U.S. and China. It is the top seller of electric guitars in Japan, with a market share of 35%. Setting up shop in Tokyo has stirred some controversy for Fender, which established a Japanese sales subsidiary in 2015. Cole said some Fender dealers had "concerns" about the guitar maker selling directly to consumers, but "We assured them it would not be competitive."

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