The California focus does seem fitting, because it was California that inspired the concept’s founder, Akio Nitori, who started the business in 1967 with a 1,000-square-foot furniture store in Hokkaido, Japan. In the early 1970s Nitori traveled to California and was impressed by the spaciousness of its homes and by the color-coordinated furnishings and accessories — in contrast to the houses in Japan, many of which were comparatively small and cluttered with mismatched decor. “His vision now is to bring better lives to the people around the world,” said Osawa. “And through Aki-Home and its unique products, he hopes to give back to the country that inspired and started his success story.”

Aki-Home is the newest concept of Nitori Holdings, which now comprises retailers, manufacturers, and materials sourcing and logistics providers. The first U.S. Aki-Home store opened in 2013 in Orange County, Calif. In addition to furniture, Aki-Home offers rugs, dinnerware, decorative items, bedding and other home products. “At Aki-Home, shoppers can find both furniture and home furnishings without having to go to multiple stores,” Osawa said. “Aside from that, we have a lot of privately branded items with Japanese functionality that you cannot find anywhere else.” Among those functional items is a dining table that transforms into a coffee table — ideal for any consumer who is tight on space. 

Aki-Home typically chooses spaces measuring between 30,000 and 40,000 square feet and is looking at mall locations just now. As for co-tenants, the chain likes to be near retailers that carry complementary merchandise. “In that sense, a strong lineup of off-price stores, discount stores, entertainment venues [and] home-furnishings stores that draw a large customer base is ideal,” Osawa said. “We also like to be in centers with stores that have customers visit frequently.”

Aki-Home stores are popular among Asians and Asian-Americans, of course, but they also appeal to a range of other consumers, in keeping with the ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic diversity of Southern California. “We do well with Asian customers, potentially because of our existing store locations and brand recognition in Asia,” Osawa said. “In terms of income, we are capturing middle-to-lower-upper-class and would like to go into areas where median household income is between $50,000 and $150,000.”

Leasing inquiries may be directed to Derek Fitch, first vice president of retail services with CBRE, at (949) 725-8593 or derek.fitch@cre.com; or to Shumpei Yoshizawa, assistant manager of marketing and e-commerce for Nitori USA, at (714) 522-0930 or shumpeiy@nitori-usa.com.