TOKYO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Workers represented by a labor union at Japanese department store operator Sogo & Seibu Co. will stage a rare strike at the company's flagship store in Tokyo on Thursday, the union said Wednesday.
The big Seibu department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro shopping district will be closed on Thursday, with around 900 union members at the store refraining from working, the union said.
The action came as the parent company Seven & i Holdings insisted on completing the sale of the chain to a U.S.-based investment fund despite the union's request for a putoff.
The business is expected to sell for over 200 billion yen (about 1.36 billion U.S. dollars) once Seven & i's board finalizes the sale of the struggling department store chain to Fortress Investment Group LLC at a meeting on Friday.
According to local media outlets, the company has seen a decline in store numbers in recent years, with its 28 outlets nationwide in September 2009 now down to 10. ■
