Sogo ditubuhkan pada tahun 1830 di Osaka oleh Ihei Sogo sebagai peruncit kimono terpakai. The problem with Sogo back then was that it was a five-star department store in the wrong location. It had high-end stores like Salvatore Ferragamo, Miki Moto, Bally and Ralph Lauren that did not sync with the customers there. Batu Road was more suited for a two-star, three-star and four-star niche. So, we niched down and started putting in the appropriate merchandise and brands for our customers. As the Batu Road market is traditionally a Malay market, we had to bring in the right goods at the right prices … and it was the right time. That was how we turned things around in one year. Pada Julai 2000, syarikat menghadapi masalah kewangan disebabkan oleh dasar pelaburan hartanah yang tidak stabil bekas pengerusi, Hiroo Mizushima, dan keruntuhan harga hartanah Jepun sejak pertengahan tahun 1980-an. Kumpulan itu runtuh di bawah beban hutang sebanyak US$17 bilion, terutamanya kepada Industrial Bank of...