Department store chain Mitsukoshi Ltd. said Thursday it will close 10 unprofitable outlets across the country in 2005 in an effort to boost profitability amid weak sales.
Four large stores -- two in Osaka Prefecture and one each in Yokohama and Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture -- will be closed in May, while six small outlets, including one at Tokyo's Haneda airport, will be closed in February, the company said.
With the closures, the firm will ask for the voluntary early retirement of 800 workers over 40 years old. The remaining employees will be transferred to other locations.
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