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, or Seiyū Gurūpu, is a Japanese group of supermarkets, shopping centers and department stores, headquartered in Akabane (赤羽), Kita, Tokyo." Company Profile." Seiyu. Retrieved on November 7, 2011. "Head Office 1-1, Akabane 2-chome, Kita-ku, Tokyo 115-0045, Japan"" ACCESS:HEAD QUARTER." Seiyu. Retrieved on November 7, 2011. "Seiyu GK 1-1, Akabane 2-chome, Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan 115-0045" On May 8, 2023, the Akabane headquarters office was relocated due to the redevelopment of Seiyu's Akabane store site. The current head office location is Kichijoji Honmachi, Musashino City, Tokyo.
Its company name means "innovation, leadership and excellence".
In 1991, Seiyu formed a consortium with six Asian retailers and one Hawaiian company to exchange expertise and set up joint ventures across Asia.
In 1996, Seiyu expanded to Thailand with local realtor Bang Chang, with its first outlet opened on September 26. It targets to have 20 stores by 2000.
On December 31, 2003, Seiyu and the US retail chain Walmart signed a partnership agreement in which Walmart would teach global supply chain practices. Numazu, Shizuoka was the site of the first Seiyu store using Walmart methods.
Walmart bought a 37 percent stake in Seiyu in 2003, and according to a company press release, Wal-Mart – Facts & News in late 2005, Walmart acquired a majority stake in the company, buying out the remainder in 2008.
Previously, the company had a registered office in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo."." Seiyu Group. Retrieved on May 19, 2009. "Registered Head Office 1-1, Higashi-Ikebukuro 3-chome, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan 170-6071" and "Head Office 1-1, Akabane 2-chome, Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan 115-0045"
In 2019, Walmart named Lionel Desclée, formerly of Delhaize and the Belgian pet shop chain Tom & Co, president and CEO of both Seiyu and Walmart Japan. In remarks after his appointment, he said Walmart had no interest in selling Seiyu. However, that June, Walmart outlined plans to relist Seiyu on the stock market.
Over the 2019-2020 period, Seiyu comparative-store sales grew 180 basis points faster than the market and EBITDA increased by nearly 40%. In addition, Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper, jointly operated by Seiyu and Rakuten, recorded a nearly 40% year-on-year increase in gross merchandise sales in the fourth quarter of 2020.
In 2020, Walmart announced they would be selling 65% of their shares in the company to private-equity firm KKR in a deal valuing 329 stores and 34,600 employees at $1.6 billion. Walmart is supposed to retain 15% and a seat on the board, while Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten will receive 20%.
In 2023, Rakuten announced that it would sell its 20% stake in Seiyu to KKR.
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