Itoya store in Ginza, Tokyo

Itoya (Japanese: 伊東屋; stylized as ITO-YA) is a Japanese stationery brand founded in 1904 (Meiji 37) in Ginza, Tokyo.

Itoya in early years

Its original location was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.

topdrawer

Its American subsidiary, ITOYA of America, Ltd., was established in 1976.[1] The Itoya subsidiary brand topdrawer has retail stores in Japan and the US.[2] Its US locations include Boston and Chicago.

Merci ticket

In 1953, a consumer loyalty program called Merci ticket was created: 100-yen ticket (orange), 50-yen ticket (yellow), 10-yen ticket (green) were issued for purchases of 2,000 yen, 1,000 yen, and 200 yen (effectively 5% return, no expiration date) to be used for future purchases. Similar return tickets were also seen at Tokyu Hands stationery tickets and local stationery stores. Issuance of Merci tickets ended in January 2009. After that, the issue of card-type Merci cards or Merci apps (return rate 3%, expiration date 24 months from the last use date) was shifted. Unused Merci tickets can be transferred as Merci card points at the Itoya Information Counter.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us – Itoya". itoya.com. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  2. ↑ "Itoya Topdrawer Corp. | Store Locations". Topdrawer. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
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