On April 2, 2024, it was announced that AEON Hokkaido will acquire nine stores in Hokkaido operated by the supermarket chain Seiyu. All nine Seiyu stores currently in operation are located in Sapporo, and the chain also previously had stores in Iwamizawa and Takikawa, long beloved by local residents. We trace the history of Seiyu from its arrival in Hokkaido to the present.

Arrived in Hokkaido around the same time as the Sapporo Olympics

Seiyu Asahigaoka store

Seiyu was founded in 1963. The name "Seiyu" comes from "Friends of Seibu," and at the time, Seibu Department Store, a part of the old Seibu Group, was the parent company. Seiyu first came to Hokkaido in 1973 with its Tsukisamu store. At the time, Hokkaido had just seen the Sapporo Winter Olympics in 1972, and the city was undergoing major urbanization, with major department stores and supermarkets moving in. Seiyu continued to open stores in Hokkaido after that, and at its peak, the number of stores had increased to 11, but currently, nine stores remain in operation in Sapporo city.

"MUJI" was a private brand of Seiyu

Seiyu Miyanosawa store

In 1979, Seiyu was listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and around the same time, in 1980, the still-familiar MUJI was born as Seiyu's private brand. MUJI was the face of Seiyu until it transferred its business rights to Ryohin Keikaku in 1990. In 2000, Seiyu launched Japan's first online supermarket business, and as a pioneer of the era of internet shopping, it was at the forefront of the supermarket industry.