Ele City Kariya

Ele City Kariya (エルシティ刈谷) was a shopping center located at 2-601 Takakura-cho, Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It opened on November 21, 1979, and was anchored by Ito-Yokado's Kariya store. The name "Ele" derives from the Latin letter L (Roman numeral for 50), reflecting the 50th anniversary of the local shopping district association. The center was a locally led large-scale shopping center, with a sales floor ratio of 40% for the key tenant, 55% for local merchants, and 5% for a community plaza. At opening, it housed 55 specialty stores, two-thirds of which were merchants from existing shopping streets in Kariya. It was the second large shopping center in Kariya, following Sun Terrace Kariya (now Apita Kariya), which opened in 1969. The center had a trade area of a 30-minute drive and provided 180 parking spaces on the roof and 1,020 spaces in the surrounding area. In its first year, it achieved sales targets (2 billion yen for specialty stores, 3.5 billion yen for Ito-Yokado), and by fiscal 1988, sales exceeded 10 billion yen. It was considered a successful example of a locally led shopping center, attracting several inspection groups annually. However, after 2000, with the increase of nearby large commercial facilities, sales declined. Ito-Yokado Kariya closed on September 5, 2021, and some other tenants closed the same day. The entire facility closed on November 29, 2021, ending its 42-year history. The building was renovated and reopened as "Rubit Town Kariya" on April 15, 2022, with core tenants such as Valor and Matsumoto Kiyoshi opening on May 13.

Ele City Kariya was a shopping center in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The planning for the center began in the mid-1960s when the Aichi Prefecture Eastern Aichi Urban Planning North Kariya Land Readjustment Project started, preparing a commercial site of 7,715 square meters in Takakura-cho. In October 1976, volunteers from the Kariya City Shopping District Association proposed the construction of a large shopping center, with candidates for the key tenant including Matsuzakaya, Seiyu, and Ito-Yokado. In 1977, Ito-Yokado was informally selected as the key tenant, and construction proceeded as a locally led large-scale shopping center. The sales floor area ratio was set at 40% for the key tenant, 55% for local merchants, and 5% for a community plaza. In March 1979, the name "Ele City" was decided, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held in April. The center opened on November 21, 1979, with Ito-Yokado Kariya as the key tenant and 55 specialty stores. Two-thirds of the specialty stores were merchants from existing shopping streets in Kariya. The Kariya store was Ito-Yokado's 90th store and its second in Aichi Prefecture after the Toyohashi store opened in 1978. At the time of opening, it was the westernmost store in Japan and was positioned as a base for expansion into the Tokai region and westward. Following Sun Terrace Kariya (now Apita Kariya), which opened in 1969, Ele City Kariya was the second large shopping center in Kariya. The trade area was assumed to be a 30-minute drive, and the two-story (partly three-story) building had 180 parking spaces on the roof and 1,020 spaces in the surrounding area. According to a post-opening survey, 55% of visitors were from Kariya City and 45% from outside, with the latter coming from Obu, Chiryu, Takahama, Higashiura, Toyoake, Toyota, Anjo, and Hekinan, in that order. In its first year, it achieved sales targets (2 billion yen for specialty stores, 3.5 billion yen for Ito-Yokado), and in fiscal 1988, sales exceeded 10 billion yen. As a successful example of a locally led shopping center, it attracted several inspection groups annually. The opening of Sun Terrace Kariya and Ele City Kariya dealt a major blow to the shopping streets in the central area of Kariya City, and in 1987, the Uny Kariya Ginza store closed. However, after 2000, with the increase of nearby large commercial facilities, sales declined. It was announced that Ito-Yokado Kariya would close on September 5, 2021, and it closed as announced. Some other tenants also closed by the same day, and operating hours were shortened to 18:00. It was also announced that all stores would close on November 29, 2021, ending its 42-year history. The building was renovated and reopened as "Rubit Town Kariya" on April 15, 2022, with core tenants such as Valor and Matsumoto Kiyoshi opening on May 13.

• Opened on November 21, 1979, with Ito-Yokado Kariya as key tenant and 55 specialty stores.

• October 1987: Sales floor expansion and renovation.

• March 4, 1996: Ito-Yokado's food Chukyo East Sea office relocated from Inuyama store.

• April 28, 2010: Renewal opening.

• September 5, 2021: Ito-Yokado Kariya and some tenants closed.

• November 29, 2021: All stores closed, ending 42 years of operation.

• April 15, 2022: Reopened as Rubit Town Kariya after renovation.

Locally led large-scale shopping center anchored by a national chain

Product categories. General merchandise · Specialty retail · Supermarket · Food and beverages · Fashion · Services

1. 1エルシティ刈谷 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ele City Kariya - Wikidatawikidata.org