The light of pigeons will disappear from East Hokkaido...Ito-Yokado Kitami store, loved by the community for 39 years, will close in August 2024.|Domingo

The light of pigeons will disappear from East Hokkaido...Ito-Yokado Kitami store, loved by the community for 39 years, will close in August 2024.

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Ito-Yokado Kitami, which opened in 1985 and has continued to support the kitchen of the Okhotsk area, has announced that it will close at the end of August 2024. This is the third Ito-Yokado store to close in East Hokkaido, following Ito-Yokado Kushiro in 2019 and the upcoming Ito-Yokado Obihiro in June 2024. As the long-established supermarket that led the way for so long is about to disappear from Doto, we take a look back at Ito-Yokado, Hokkaido, and the history of the Ito-Yokado Kitami store.

Ito-Yokado in Hokkaido continues to decline

イトーヨーカドー北見店

The history of Ito-Yokado in Hokkaido began with the opening of its first store in Obihiro in 1975. Thereafter, stores continued to open in Sapporo, Tomakomai, Ebetsu and Asahikawa, and by around 2000 there were 15 stores operating in all Hokkaido. Now, more than 20 years later, according to the management plan of Seven & i Holdings, which operates Ito-Yokado, the policy of concentrating capital in the Tokyo metropolitan area and closing regional stores has resulted in a series of store closures in rural areas that are difficult to make profitable.

In East Hokkaido, the Obihiro store will close in June 2024, followed by the closure of the Kitami store in August 2024, marking the disappearance of Ito-Yokado in East Hokkaido.

The Kitami store, which opened in 1985, also promotes local products

イトーヨーカドー北見店

The Ito-Yokado Kitami store opened in February 1985. It has long been loved by the local community, and in 2016 it signed a collaboration agreement with Kitami City regarding the expansion of sales channels for local products and local production for local consumption. There are now more opportunities to pick up local products at the store. In addition, many community-based events were held, such as local handmade artists gathering several times every few months to sell numerous handmade works, and students from an agricultural high school selling vegetables and processed products they grew themselves.

The closure of the Ito-Yokado Kitami store has caused the loss of these community-based events, which is sad news for those who were looking forward to them.

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「ああ…やっぱり」地元の人の声は<h3 class="ptn_4"> Oh...I knew it," said a local resident.</h3><img id="30516" src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/f0d66390c41ab340fc82a600a1e4aab6.jpg" alt="イトーヨーカドー北見店"><p> In fact, there had been whisperings about the closing of the Ito-Yokado Kitami store in the local community. With the official announcement this time, "Ah...I knew it" was often heard from the locals.</p> <p> Speaking of weekends, I used to go to Ito-Yokado, and buying snacks for my children at Poppo was my daily pleasure. A few years ago, the restaurant at the entrance to Poppo closed, and I thought maybe... but it is still sad to hear again that it is closed."</p> <p> I worked there part-time when I was a student. As an adult, I used to use the restaurant as a customer, but it is sad to think that a place that I have a deep attachment to will be closed. I still have some time left, so I will keep coming back until that day comes."</p> <p> I liked Ito-Yokado because it was compact but had a wide variety of items. I especially love PB (private brand) products, and if I can't get them in the future, I'm going to be in trouble. I was sad to hear about the closing of the store, but I guess it's just the times we live in."</p> <h3 class="ptn_4"> The store will close at the end of August 2024. A supermarket rooted and loved by the community</h3><img id="30518" src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5b0f17b54d612fda438ada3a257ce739.jpg" alt="イトーヨーカドー北見店"><p> The Ito-Yokado Kitami store has supported the lives of the local community for nearly 40 years. When we proceeded with our interviews, we were impressed by the voices of those who said that despite the news of the store closing, they will continue to go to the store as their daily supermarket until the store closes in August. In fact, the number of large supermarkets is increasing in Kitami City, and in fact, if you simply want to buy food, the price may not be that much different anywhere.</p> <p> However, it is true that the Ito-Yokado Kitami store has many fans of its atmosphere and product lineup. Although there has been much speculation about the future of the store itself, the future of the store is being watched closely. After the closure of the Kitami store, Ito-Yokado opened four stores in Sapporo: the Kotoni store, Ario Sapporo store, Tonden store, and Fukuzumi store. For those who have been familiar with the company for a long time, the future of the four remaining stores is also attracting attention.</p> <h3 class="ptn_5"> Check them out as well!</h3>

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