4 things to know about Lumine, the newest Japanese fashion mall to open in Singapore

Fashionistas may be excited to hear that Japanese fashion mall Lumine will be opening in Singapore this November, just in time for the Christmas shopping season.

It is the first international store for the mall, but will be on a smaller scale as compared to its domestic retail spaces.

Lumine Singapore will occupy 10,000 sq ft of space (about 3.5 times the size of a tennis court) on the second floor of Clarke Quay Central at Eu Tong Sen St, which will be accessible via a linkway to the pedestrian bridge from the outside of the mall.

Psst... we also hear that there may be a cafe located within the store. But details will be released at a later date.

Here are other things you should know about the major Japan mall:

1. It is a mall owned by a railway company

The store was set up as a "premium urban lifestyle destination" in 1966, but in 1991, was consolidated as a subsidiary of Japan's major railway company, JR East. That probably explains why Lumine stores are typically found directly connected to JR's major hub stations.

Lumine is one of the pioneers of the 'Ekibru', a type of mall in Japan named as such because it combines a station(eki) with a building (bru).

It currently has 16 branches around Japan, with five locations in the major shopping districts in Tokyo. 

2. It has an online website

Lumine added an online store called i-LUMINE in March 2008. But sorry, international shoppers, the site is only in Japanese and appears to be just for the domestic market.

3. Your shopping will be delivered to the airport, but only in Japan

According to its website, shoppers who make total purchases of at least 30,000 yen (S$365) can get their shopping delivered to the airport free of charge. However, this is only available at the Japanese stores.

No word on whether this service will be available here, though. 

4. Its target consumers are 'highly ambitious and curious' local women

According to its statement, the Singapore store will replicate the "first-class" shopping experience that is offered by Lumine's 16 branches in Japan, promising a "wide range of fashion and lifestyle products" imported from Japan.

The mall will be geared towards young working women looking for trendy apparel at an affordable price. According to a spokesperson, their customer is "discerning, professional lady who is curious, creative and possesses a zest for life and her own point of view".

It added that Lumine will specially curate items that are sold at the store, instead of hosting individual tenants like their retail concepts in Japan.

candicec@sph.com.sg