著者

辻本 法子

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

桃山学院大学経済経営論集 (ISSN:02869721)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.56, no.2, pp.65-98, 2014-12-17

---

This study examines sales promotion activities at department stores in Osaka from 1905 to 1950 through newspaper advertisements. I believe it is possible to determine the development of sales promotion activities by comparing the contents of newspaper advertisements by department stores. The advertisements investigated are obtained from the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun for the years 1905-1942 and the Asahi Shimbun Osaka for 1943-1950. The sales promotions by department stores during 1905-1950 are classified into four periods. The first period is from 1905 to 1919 ;there were 50 advertisements in 1905 and less than 100 per year until 1919.In this period, the gofuku store (the shop dealing in fabrics for kimonos) developed into a department store. The second period is from 1920 to 1928. While there were 125 advertisements in 1920, they increased to 900 in 1928. In this period, the public began using department stores. The third period is from 1929 to 1937, in which there were 1000 or more advertisements per year. In this period, competition between department stores became intense. In addition to gofuku stores, some railroad companies began managing department stores. Further, department stores began to competitively build big stores. The fourth period is from 1938 to 1950, in which advertising decreased gradually with a deterioration of the war situation. There were 201 advertisements in 1945, the year in which World War II ended; however, 1947 saw this number increasing to 1000. Department stores were controlled by law in this period and by occupation forces after the war. This paper discusses the sales promotions by department stores in the first period. The promotions during the other periods will be discussed in the next paper.