Muji opens SM North branch (and its biggest in the country)

June 11, 2023

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WITH OVER 2,500 sq.m. of space and over 4,000 items in store, the Muji store in SM North EDSA is currently the country’s biggest.

“This store was really built to provide convenience for the community. SM North EDSA is really a family mall,” Muji Philippines Corp. Marketing Manager Cristina Dagdag told BusinessWorld during the soft opening on June 8 (the store formally opened on June 9).

The store’s opening is a response to clamor from customers, also reflected in online shopping data that showed that the majority of their online customers came from Quezon City, she told BusinessWorld previously.

The large size is meant to mimic the Muji stores in Japan. The 2,500 sq.m. is divided into two areas: a retail floor and a coffee counter across it. The coffee counter serves Japanese curry (a new product), coffee, tea, sandwiches, and pastries. Just off the coffee counter is a new product from Muji (locally harvested houseplants), and an expanded service counter for embroidery, repairs, spare parts, and gift-wrapping, among others. Another feature unique of the SM North EDSA store are the wider shopping aisles: just enough room to wheel around new Muji shopping carts. “We believe in making the lives of our customers better,” said Ms. Dagdag.

She says that there are plans in the pipeline for possible store renovations and possible openings for other stores, but, “I can’t disclose anything yet for now.”

Muji, founded in Japan during a consumerist boom in the 80s, shows a sort of Zen-like existence that can be bought. The Muji aesthetic, usually described as “minimalist” (the brand prefers the term “empty”) is easily recognizable by its function-over-form design. Asked what it’s like to live “Muji-ly”, Ms. Dagdag says, “I go back to the concept of emptiness. Muji will not dictate that for you. It’s how you will define it for yourself, using our products…we just want to provide products that make life better.”

The new Muji is located on the second floor of SM North EDSA’s North Towers.