Bic Camera

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

Japanese consumer electronics retailer

title: "Bic Camera" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["japanese-brands", "japanese-companies-established-in-1968", "companies-listed-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchange", "consumer-electronics-retailers-of-japan", "photographic-retailers", "photography-companies-of-japan", "retail-companies-based-in-tokyo", "retail-companies-established-in-1968"] description: "Japanese consumer electronics retailer" topic_path: "engineering" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Camera" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Japanese consumer electronics retailer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameBic Camera, Inc.
logoBic Camera Logo.svg
imageFile:BIC CAMERA headquarters 2018-01-18.jpg
image_captionBic Camera headquarters in Toshima
native_name株式会社ビックカメラ
romanized_nameKabushiki gaisha Bikku Kamera
typePublic (K.K.)
traded_as
industryRetail
foundation
founderRyuji Arai
location_cityToshima, Tokyo
location_countryJapan
area_servedJapan
products{{ubl
num_locations45
subsid{{ubl
homepage
::

| name = Bic Camera, Inc. | logo = Bic Camera Logo.svg | image = File:BIC CAMERA headquarters 2018-01-18.jpg | image_caption = Bic Camera headquarters in Toshima | native_name = 株式会社ビックカメラ | romanized_name = Kabushiki gaisha Bikku Kamera | type = Public (K.K.) | traded_as = | industry = Retail | foundation = | founder = Ryuji Arai | location_city = Toshima, Tokyo | location_country = Japan | area_served = Japan | products = {{ubl | Consumer electronics | Home appliances | Video games and consoles | Toys | num_locations = 45 | num_employees = | subsid = {{ubl | Sofmap Co., Ltd. | Kojima Co., Ltd. | Nippon BS Broadcasting Corp. | homepage = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/BicCamera_Yurakucho.jpg" caption="[[Yūrakuchō]] Store, in Tokyo"] ::

Bic Camera, Inc. is a consumer electronics retailer chain in Japan. Currently, it has 45 stores in 17 prefectures. Bic Camera has a 50% ownership of former rival store Kojima with 143 stores and full ownership of computer store chain Sofmap with 24 stores.

As of 2023, Bic Camera is the second largest electronics and home appliance retailer, behind Yamada Denki.

History

In 1968, founded in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. Four years later, the camera sales department was separated from the company and renamed . In 1978, Bic Color was renamed Bic Camera, with their first store opening in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Originally specializing in selling cameras at discount prices, Bic Camera expanded to selling home appliances, personal computers, alcoholic beverages, golf equipment, bedding, luxury brand products, bicycles, and toys.

In 1994, Bic Camera spun-off its PC section to . Following a decline in PC sales, this subsidiary was absorbed back into the company in 2000. In 1995, Bic Camera displayed banners protesting France's nuclear weapons testing in the South Pacific. Nippon BS Broadcasting Corp. was established in 1999, with Bic Camera as its majority shareholder.

As part of its expansion, Bic Camera purchased Sogo's Yūrakuchō building in 2001. Throughout the 2000s, Bic Camera opened locations connected to JR stations across the country. In 2005, Bic Camera moved its headquarters from Nishi-Ikebukuro to Takada. A year later, the company purchased Sofmap in February and had itself listed in the JASDAQ Securities Exchange on August 10. In September, Bic Camera purchased a 3.2% stake in Tokyo Broadcasting System. On October 5, 2007, Bic Camera acquired a 9.33% share of rival Best Denki and increased its stake to 14.95%. On June 10, 2008, the company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and had itself delisted from JASDAQ on August 29. In 2009, Bic Camera was fined 1.3 million by the TSE for falsifying its earnings after its shares lost half its value early that year. As a result, Arai stepped down as chairman and the company was delisted from the TSE. Sofmap was delisted on January 26, 2010 after becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Bic Camera. In June 2010, Bic Camera absorbed rival Sakuraya.

On June 26, 2012, Bic Camera purchased 50% of rival store chain . As a result of the Kojima acquisition, Best Denki split from Bic Camera and was fully acquired by Yamada Denki on July 13. On September 1, Arai was reinstated as chairman. On September 27, Bic Camera signed a partnership with clothing giant Uniqlo to convert the Shinjuku East Store to . The partnership ended on June 19, 2022 and the store reverted into a Bic Camera branch the next day.

In April 2016, Bic Camera opened its first branch at Haneda Airport. Air Bic Camera also has locations at Narita International Airport, Chubu Centrair International Airport, and Naha Airport, as well as two branches in Odaiba. On December 19, Bic Camera partnered with Rakuten to launch . In 2018, Bic Camera reported record profits and a 50% increase in shares as a result of a rise in Chinese tourists and the store chain's acceptance of Alipay and WeChat.

On February 7, 2020, Bic Camera opened its Nihonbashi Kaden branch in partnership with Mitsukoshi.

On March 5, 2021, Bic Camera opened its Kumamoto branch next to Kumamoto Station. In June 2021, the company was ranked 132nd on the Global Powers of Retailing's Top 250 list. In 2022, new branches were opened in Takatsuki and Chiba. In addition, Bic Camera partnered with the JR East to have its own section on the "JRE Mall" online store.

On May 7, 2023, Bic Camera closed its Kyoto branch, with its assets transferred to the Takatsuki branch.

Stores

Bic Camera has stores in the following locations:

;Tokyo

;Kanagawa

;Chiba Prefecture

;Saitama Prefecture

;Gunma Prefecture

;Ibaraki Prefecture

;Hokkaido

;Niigata Prefecture

;Nagano Prefecture

;Shizuoka Prefecture

;Aichi Prefecture

;Osaka

;Okayama Prefecture

;Hiroshima Prefecture

;Kyushu

;Okinawa

;Former stores

  • Ikebukuro North Exit (closed 2002)
  • Takasaki West Exit (closed 2011)
  • Yūrakuchō Store Annex (closed 2011; now a Loft store)
  • Former Shinjuku East Exit (closed 2012; now a Koko kara Fine drug store)
  • Former Ikebukuro East Exit (closed 2021; now a GIGO branch)
  • Funabashi Tōbu (closed 2022)
  • Shijō Kawaramachi Select, Kyoto (closed 2022)
  • Roppongi Station Select, Tokyo (Bic Camera Select; closed 2022)
  • Harajuku Select, Tokyo (Bic Camera Select; closed 2022)
  • Machida, Tokyo (Tokyo Odakyu department store; closed 2022)
  • Kyōto Station (closed 2023)
  • Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station (closed 2023)
  • Sapporo Esta (closed 2023; moved to Tokyu Department Store)
  • Ikebukuro Select (closed 2024; now a Sofmap store)
  • Ito-Yokado Tama Plaza (closed 2025)

File:BIC CAMERA Ikebukuro main store 2018-02-08.jpg|Bic Camera Ikebukuro main store File:BIC CAMERA Ikebukuro main store for personal computer 2018-02-08.jpg|Bic Camera Ikebukuro Camera/PC building File:Biccamera Shinjuku.jpg|Bic Camera Shinjuku West Odakyu HALC File:SANY0166 (3157264355).jpg|Bic Camera Shibuya East store File:Shibuya TOEI IMG 1009 R 20150228.JPG|Bic Camera Shibuya Hachikoguchi File:Bic Camera AKIBA.jpg|Bic Camera Akihabara File:Chōfu Trie B-building.jpg|Bic Camera Chōfu File:CELEO Hachioji.jpg|Bic Camera CELEO Hachiōji File:Shin-Yokohama Station 20130506.JPG|Bic Camera Shin-Yokohama Station File:Biccamera fujisawa.jpg|Bic Camera Fujisawa File:Niigata-Station CoCoLo-South-Building 20130807.JPG|Bic Camera Niigata Station CoCoLo South Building File:Bic Camera Nagoya-Ekinishi 11022.jpg|Bic Camera Nagoya Station West store File:BIC CAMERA Namba on 13th May 2022.jpg|Bic Camera Namba File:Footage of construction of ekimae ōhashi line in Hiroshima.jpg|Bic Camera Hiroshima File:Bic-Camera Kumamoto-STA.jpg|Bic Camera Kumamoto

Commercials and jingles

Bic Camera's theme song

Bic Camera's original jingle was titled , which was used in TV commercials and broadcast within the stores. The jingle's melody was loosely based on the enka song , which, in turn, traces its roots to the American hymn "Shall We Gather at the River?". The song's original lyrics for the main branch in Ikebukuro referenced the Ikebukuro Station, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line by the east exit and the Tōbu Tōjō Line by the west exit, as well as Sunshine City. The lyrics were changed for specific branches such as Akihabara and Namba.

New Bic Camera theme song

In July 2023, Bic Camera launched a new jingle, featuring new lyrics that add the Yamanote Line, the Shōnan–Shinjuku Line, the Saikyō Line, the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line, and the Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line among the eight lines connecting to Ikebukuro, reflecting the district's massive growth as a shopping destination.

On March 1, 2024, the new jingle became the departure melody for the Yamanote Line at Ikebukuro Station.

References

References

  1. (2018-05-17). "Bargain-hunting Chinese make Japanese retail king Bic Camera a billionaire". [[The Japan Times]].
  2. (2012-05-11). "Bic Camera to acquire majority in Kojima: Nikkei". [[Thomson Reuters]].
  3. "2024年８月期 第1四半期決算".
  4. sofmap. "ソフマップのイベント・キャンペーンなど、おトクな店舗情報".
  5. (2008-08-09). "Bic Camera raises stake in Best Denki".
  6. (2010-03-04). "Sakuraya closing business to be a part of Bic Camera".
  7. (2012-07-13). "Yamada Denki to buy rival Best Denki". [[The Japan Times]].
  8. Milner, Rebecca. (2012-09-27). "Bicqlo – Bic Camera meets Uniqlo – is here!". [[The Japan Times]].
  9. Imada, Kaila. (2022-05-20). "Tokyo's massive Bicqlo Shinjuku to close this June".
  10. "Air Bic Camera". Bic Camera.
  11. "楽天ビック". [[Rakuten]] Bic.
  12. (2020-02-07). "Bic Camera Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi". Bic Camera.
  13. (2020-02-04). "ビックカメラ／「日本橋三越」に出店、富裕層向けプレミアム家電強化".
  14. (2021-03-05). "ビックカメラ、熊本県内初の直営店オープン ＪＲ熊本白川ビル". Kumamotonichinichi Shimbun.
  15. (2021-06-29). "2021年発表！世界の小売業ランキングTOP250 日本の小売企業は28社が選出".
  16. (2022-06-03). "ビックカメラ／大阪の高槻阪急3階に新店舗オープン".
  17. (2022-11-01). "ヨドバシ目の前に「ビック」 千葉駅前、販売競争激化も". [[Kyodo News]].
  18. "ビックカメラ". [[East Japan Railway Company]].
  19. "[Closure] Bic Camera JR Kyoto Station Store". Bic Camera.
  20. "List of BicCamera stores".
  21. "ビックカメラ | ページ移転".
  22. Hanada, Ryosuke. (2017-06-24). "Bic Camera and the new face of Akihabara". [[Nikkei Asia]].
  23. "ビックカメラの歌 CMソング 各店舗の歌詞".
  24. "ビックカメラのテーマソング". Bic Camera.
  25. (2023-09-12). "ビックカメラが45年ぶりテーマソング一新 なぜ変えた？おなじみのフレーズは継続". [[Yahoo! Japan]].
  26. (2024-03-01). "ビックカメラのテーマ曲、山手線・池袋駅の発車メロディに　ヨドバシ出店は「関連ない」". Impress Watch.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

japanese-brandsjapanese-companies-established-in-1968companies-listed-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchangeconsumer-electronics-retailers-of-japanphotographic-retailersphotography-companies-of-japanretail-companies-based-in-tokyoretail-companies-established-in-1968