Rakuten to Open Barça Japan Tour 2019 Official Stores in Harajuku and Kobe to Commemorate the Rakuten CUP Tournament

Tokyo, July 12, 2019 - Rakuten, Inc. today announced the opening of two Barça Japan Tour 2019 Official Stores in Harajuku and Kobe. Opened to commemorate the “Rakuten CUP Supported by SCALP-D” international soccer tournament to be held this month, the stores will offer fans a wide variety of specially designed, original Rakuten CUP goods and merchandise. Both stores are set to open on July 13.

In November 2016, Rakuten sealed a partnership agreement with FC Barcelona starting from the 2017 – 2018 season. The FC Barcelona pop-up stores have been launched as part of initiatives designed to fuse sports and business based on the agreement. The Harajuku store will be open from Saturday, July 13 until Sunday, July 28, while the Kobe store will be open from Saturday, July 13 until Sunday, August 4. The interior of the store will be decorated with pictures of FC Barcelona star players in action, giving visitors a tangible sense of the excitement of the Rakuten CUP.

The Barça Japan Tour 2019 Official Stores, under the supervision of FC Barcelona who will be visiting Japan for the Rakuten CUP tournament, will offer an exciting lineup of merchandise, including apparel and towels with original designs based on Barça’s unique colors and style. Around 40 items will be available for purchase, including t-shirts printed with the player numbers of five FC Barcelona players, as well as exclusive items with designs based on the historic goal scored by Andrés Iniesta at the Chelsea match 10 years ago^*1.  

The original merchandise offered at the stores can also be purchased at Saitama Stadium 2002 and Noevir Stadium Kobe on the days the matches will be held, through Rakuten SPORTS ZONE, the professional sporting goods store operated by Rakuten, as well as the J.LEAGUE ONLINE STORE operated by Rakuten as a J.League Official EC Platform Partner.

The Rakuten Cup will see a match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC on July 23 at Saitama Stadium 2002 in the Greater Tokyo Area, and FC Barcelona and Vissel Kobe on July 27 at Noevir Stadium Kobe, the home ground of Vissel Kobe in western Japan. The matches will aim to pitch 26-time La Liga champions FC Barcelona against 6-time English league champions Chelsea FC, as well as former Barça teammates Andrés Iniesta, David Villa and Sergi Samper, a new signing who joined the team this March, of Vissel Kobe.

Rakuten will continue to generate excitement for the Rakuten CUP in various ways, so that fans in Japan can enjoy top-tier action from the world of soccer.  

*1 The products available may differ depending on the store.  

Name: Barça Japan Tour 2019 Official Store

Details:
Harajuku store
Open from Saturday, July 13, 2019 to Sunday, July 28, 2019
Opening hours: Weekdays 11:00 - 20:00 / Weekends and national holidays 10:00 - 20:00
Location: Q's spot OMOHARA (6-30-3 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

 Kobe store
Open from Saturday, July 13, 2019 to Sunday, August 4, 2019
Opening hours: 10:00 - 21:00
Location: Kobe Harborland umie (1-6 Higashikawasaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture)

Examples of original merchandise:

*The original merchandise available at these stores can also be purchased at Rakuten CUP venues (Saitama Stadium 2002 and Noevir Stadium Kobe), through Rakuten SPORTS ZONE, the professional sporting goods store operated by Rakuten (https://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/rakutensportszone/rakutencup2019/), as well as the J.LEAGUE ONLINE STORE (https://store.jleague.jp/) operated by Rakuten as a J.League Official EC Platform Partner.

Please note that the products available may differ depending on the store. For details, please inquire with the respective stores or websites.