Ben & Jerry’s Opens in Tokyo

American ice cream parlor chain, Benn & Jerry’s recently opened its first flagship store in Tokyo. Following an unsuccessful distribution deal with 7-Eleven in 1997, Ben & Jerry’s hopes to return to Japan with a new focus – position Ben & Jerry’s as a premium ice cream brand. Located on the ground floor of Omotesando Hills complex in Tokyo’s Harajuku shopping district, the shop will serve 12 of Ben & Jerry’s most popular ice cream flavors including Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, Phish Food and Chocolate Fudge Brownie in addition to shakes, sundaes and ice cream cakes.

“Ben & Jerry’s is an ice cream, but it’s also a very strong brand,” says Shintaro Nakagawa, brand manager for Ben & Jerry’s at Unilever. “I think it is important to introduce Ben & Jerry’s to the Japanese public via these Scoop Shops, places where customers can come to try the ice cream and fully enter the world that surrounds the brand.”

Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company intends on opening 30-50 additional stores in Japan over the next five years. In addition, Ben & Jerry’s intends to introduce domestically produced flavors exclusive to the Japanese market. Link

Tagged America, Asia (North), Food + Drink