Harajuku girls expected to shop at Bic Camera

Japanese electronics retailer Bic Camera is targeting teenage girls in a new concept store set to open in the quirky Harajuku shopping precinct.

Harajuku has been renowned globally as a destination for cosplay fans since way before the pastime became mainstream – and it is something of a mecca for teenagers chasing hip fashion labels and indulgent confectionery and beverages.

Bic Camera has 41 large-format stores in Japan and counts Best Denki in its shareholder ranks. It plans to sell beauty appliances including facial treatment devices and hair dryers along with cosmetics, stationery and funky smartphone cases at the new store.

The Harajuku shop, to open on Takeshita Street this weekend, will have two floors – one underground – with a footprint of just 330sqm, making it the company’s smallest to date.

After refining the concept, the company plans similar stores elsewhere in Japan.