Tokyu Hands Shinsaibashi store in Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tokyu Hands in Breeze Centre, Taipei

Hands Inc., known as Hands (ハンズ, Hanzu), is a Japanese department store formerly known as Tokyu Hands. Hands is now part of Cainz (itself a member of the Beisia Group). Tokyu Hands opened their first store in Shibuya, Tokyo in 1976 as a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) store, hence the logo with two hands, and the emphasis on crafts and materials for projects.[1]

The name Tokyu Hands was in reference to its then parent company, the Tokyu Group keiretsu. Cainz acquired the brand in March 2022 and renamed the store Hands.[2]

Today, Hands focuses on hobby, home improvement and lifestyle products. At the Shibuya flagship store, products include toys, games, novelty items, gift cards, gift wrap, costumes, bicycles, travel products (such as luggage and camping gear), hobby materials, household hardware, tools, do-it-yourself kits, pet supplies, office supplies and stationery; calligraphy, painting, drawing supplies, furniture, lighting, home appliances, and storage solutions.

Most branches offer free workshops (in Japanese) and have demonstrations running on various floors during busy periods (weekends and holidays). There is a delivery service available for purchases that cannot be taken home on the day.

The Ikebukuro location featured a cat café called Nekobukuro, or "Cat's House", one of the first in the city to do so. For an additional admission fee, customers could visit with some 20 cats in the cafe. However, the Ikebukuro location underperformed as a whole and was closed on October 31, 2021.[3]

Stores

Japan

Hands operates 49 stores in Japan,[4] including in:

Singapore

In Singapore, Hands opened its first store in Westgate in 2014,[5] and currently operates five stores across the country:[6]

Taiwan

In 2000, an overseas branch of Tokyu Hands, named Hands Tailung (台隆手創館) opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in the Ximending area; as of 2017, Hands Tailung operates 15 stores in Taiwan.[7]

References

  1. ↑ History from Tokyu-land.com Archived 11 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "カインズ、東急ハンズの買収完了 店名・社名はしばらく「東急ハンズ」のまま". ITmedia ビジネスオンライン (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Kaila Imada (8 September 2021). "Tokyu Hands in Ikebukuro is closing forever in October". TimeOut. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Tokyu Hands shop list". Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  5. ↑ migration (1 July 2014). "Tokyu Hands to open here". The Straits Times. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "TOKYU HANDS". www.tokyu-hands.com.sg. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "HANDS 台隆手創館". hands.com.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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