OREANDA-NEWS. ITOCHU Corporation announced that it has entered into an exclusive franchise agreement for the OUTDOOR PRODUCTS brand in Japan with SANMARINO Co., Ltd. The first store will open in LUMINE EST SHINJUKU on February 11, 2014.

The OUTDOOR PRODUCTS brand was originated in Los Angeles, the United States in 1973 and has gone on to establish a firm position in the outdoor scene not only in the United States but around the globe. It uses the strong CORDURA(r) nylon fabric and offers a broad array of products including the 452 Model, said to be "synonymous with he daypack." Its products are sold in more than 60 countries in the world centering on the United States and Japan. ITOCHU acquired the trademark right of the OUTDOOR PRODUCTS brand in 19 countries and regions in the world in November 2012. Since then, ITOCHU has been offering the brand in regions centering on Asia, including Japan, and transmits the brand's worldview broadly to further increase the value of the OUTDOOR PRODUCTS brand.

SANMARINO has been designing and selling affordable casual clothing in season that incorporates trends for more than 40 years since its founding in 1969 as wholesale apparel of casual clothing focused on men's products. Tailored to the distribution channels changing with the times, SANMARINO has been expanding its business into volume retailers, specialty stores, select shops and the internet shops. In 2005, SANMARINO also opened a directly managed store named NAVAL in Harajuku to enter the retail business. It currently manages three stores in Tokyo including the one in Harajuku.

Based on the franchise agreement concluded this time, ITOCHU and SANMARINO will proactively promote the opening of mono-brand stores for the OUTDOOR PRODUCTS brand in Japan. The stores will be designed to be casual sports stores welcoming to men and women of all ages, selling a broad range of goods including bags, general merchandise and apparel centering on daypacks based on the concept of "Relax and Smile." Thirty stores are to be opened in Japan within five years as a multi-store expansion in the form of in-shop at shopping centers in the Tokyo metropolitan area and large urban areas is also planned, starting with a store to open in LUMINE EST SHINJUKU as the first in-shop.