Peach John

Peach John is a Japanese retailer of lingerie and women’s clothing. Largely a mail order company, Peach John has targeted women in their teens and early twenties since it was founded, building a solid base for their unique brand of American style lingerie.

History

Peach John was founded on June 1, 1994 by 29 year old Mika Noguchi and her husband Shoji Noguchi in Tokyo. Their first business model acted as a mail order importer of American lingerie, selling the Bomb Bust bra, a padded bra from America. The bra was immediately successful in Japan and helped Peach John grow quickly into a powerful force in the industry until they started selling their own original designs. The first of the original Peach John designs was the Circuit, first sold in 1998.

The company expanded its product line and continued to build its base, but like many other Japanese companies, almost succumbed to the downturn in the Japanese economy. After nearly falling into bankruptcy in 2001, Peach John restructured and paid back more than 2 billion yen in debt in a year. Eventually, Peach John sold a 49% share in the company to Wacoal, another major Japanese lingerie company, in 2006. Two years later, Mika Noguchi sold her remaining shares to Wacoal, giving the company sole control of Peach John.

The company currently employs more than 150 employees and draws over 17 Billion Yen in revenue annually by selling a wide array of lingerie, shoes, clothing, accessories, bags, cosmetics, and health care products. Still offering both American imports and original products from the Peach John label, the mail order company has only continued to grow.

Shop Locations

Peach John started primarily as a mail order company but has expanded to include an array of small shop locations throughout Japan. These “Peach John The Store” locations can be found in the following cities:

• Sapporo
• Sendai
• Shibuya
• Shinjyuku
• Nishiginza
• Ueno
• Tachikawa
• Machida
• Ohmiya
• Chiba
• Kawasaki
• Yokohama
• Nagoya
• Collected Nagoya
• Niigata
• Shiizuoka
• Kanazawa
• Kyoto
• Shinsaibashi
• Fukuoka

Partnerships

Peach John has developed business connections to distribute products within Japan for companies in the United States, Italy and Japan. They have also started selling their own products through foreign entities in other countries. Companies currently in business with Peach John include:

• Franzoni (Italy)
• Rago (USA)
• Betsey Johnson (USA)
• PJ Salvage (USA)
• My Honey Bee (Japan)

The Peach John Catalog

The Peach John mail catalog is the largest source of income for the company with more than 2.4 million printed and sent in every circulation. The catalog is released in February, May, August, and November with new products included and is estimated to reach around 25% of all Japanese women in the 18-30 age group. Peach John’s catalogs can also be purchased in book stores and convenience stores for those who do not subscribe to receive it in the mail.

External Links

• Official Website (Japanese)
• Screens from the Catalog