Az Kumagaya

Az Kumagaya (アズ熊谷) is a station-building shopping center (ekibiru) directly connected to JR Kumagaya Station in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and managed within the JR East Group: the operating company is Takasaki Terminal Building Co., Ltd. (高崎ターミナルビル株式会社), which since April 2015 has been a subsidiary of Atre Co., Ltd., the JR East Group's station commercial development arm. The facility opened on April 24, 1987, developed by Kumagaya Station Development Co., Ltd., and has been expanded over the decades into a multi-part complex. The complex comprises several connected zones. The main building, officially named the Kumagaya Station Building, has approximately 6,322 m² of retail space and is directly linked to the north and east rotary entrances of Kumagaya Station as well as to a third-floor entrance just outside the JR ticket gates. AZ 2nd (アズセカンド) adds about 1,556 m² inside the station concourse area, AZ ROAD (アズロード) occupies the free passage between the JR and Chichibu Railway gates with confectionery and bakery shops, and AZ EAST (アズイースト) operates on the third floor of the adjacent commercial building Tiara 21, which opened in 2004. The main building and AZ 2nd are designated large-scale retail facilities under Japanese law. Az Kumagaya functions as a daily-life and commuter retail hub for the Kumagaya area. Its tenant mix spans food and grocery floors, drugstores, fashion and eyewear brands such as JINS and GU, bookstores, cafes, and restaurants, along with service and relaxation zones. The official site promotes recurring events and promotions, including the Wednesday "Mizu-Toku Market" on the first-floor food floor and second-floor Matsukiyo Lab, seasonal rooftop BBQ and beer garden operations under the URBAN EARTH BBQ concept, and new tenant openings. Payment across most of the complex supports Suica and other Japanese transport IC cards. Ownership and operation have changed through JR East Group reorganizations. Kumagaya Station Development Co., Ltd. merged into Takasaki Terminal Building Co., Ltd. on April 1, 2005, and on April 1, 2015, Takasaki Terminal Building became a subsidiary of Atre while transferring shopping-center-related assets to Atre, so that Atre owns and manages the facility and entrusts day-to-day operation to Takasaki Terminal Building. The same Takasaki Terminal Building team also handles the Eki-site Ageo and Eki-site Kogane station facilities. Az Kumagaya introduced the JR East Group's JRE POINT loyalty program on October 4, 2017. A community FM station, FM Kumagaya, has had a studio on the sixth floor since its launch on April 3, 2019.

Az Kumagaya traces its origins to the late 1970s and 1980s expansion of station commercial facilities by the Japanese National Railways and later JR East Group. Takasaki Terminal Building Co., Ltd. was established on December 25, 1979, with its head office in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. In 1982, ahead of the November opening of the Joetsu Shinkansen, a station building was constructed at the transport hub of Takasaki Station, and the station building Monterey and Takasaki Terminal Hotel opened simultaneously. The Kumagaya facility itself opened on April 24, 1987, when Kumagaya Station Development Co., Ltd. launched the Kumagaya Station Building AZ. The complex grew in stages: AZ 2nd opened inside the JR Kumagaya Station concourse on October 1, 1996; AZ ROAD opened on August 7, 1997; and the third floor was expanded on June 4, 1998. On November 20, 2004, AZ EAST opened on the third floor of the newly opened commercial building Tiara 21, which was directly connected to the main building. Corporate consolidation followed. On April 1, 2005, as part of a JR East Group reorganization, Kumagaya Station Development Co., Ltd. was absorbed by Takasaki Terminal Building Co., Ltd., and the operation of Az Kumagaya was inherited. Takasaki Terminal Building continued to expand its broader portfolio, opening Eki-site Maebashi on December 25, 2007, absorbing JR Takasaki Shoji and Takasaki Terminal Building Shoji on April 1, 2009, and opening Eki-site Ageo on March 14, 2010, Eki-site Takasaki on December 12, 2010, and Eki-site Kogane on March 20, 2011. A local products zone, Gunma Iroha, opened within Eki-site Takasaki on July 2, 2011. A major ownership change occurred on April 1, 2015, when, as part of a JR East Group reorganization, Takasaki Terminal Building became a subsidiary of Atre Co., Ltd. and transferred its shopping-center-related assets to Atre. This created the current structure in which Atre owns and manages the facility while entrusting its management and operation to Takasaki Terminal Building. On October 4, 2017, Az Kumagaya introduced JRE POINT, the JR East Group's common loyalty program; the Az card design uses a blue background with the Az and Eki-site logos. Previously, the facility had emphasized the Suica Point Club rather than its own point program, and for about two months from October 4, 2017, Suica Points and JRE POINT could be earned in double. After Suica Points were integrated into JRE POINT on December 5, 2017, double earning ended because JRE POINT accrual via Suica was not applicable at Az Kumagaya. In recent years the facility has continued to refresh its tenant mix and events. A community FM station, FM Kumagaya, launched on April 3, 2019, with a studio on the sixth floor of the main building; its transmitting antenna was initially on the main building but was relocated to the roof of the Kumagaya City Hall main building on August 11, 2020. The official website highlights ongoing promotions such as the Wednesday Mizu-Toku Market and seasonal rooftop BBQ and beer garden operations, as well as new tenant openings in the 2020s.

• Takasaki Terminal Building Co., Ltd. established.

• Takasaki Station building Monterey and Takasaki Terminal Hotel open ahead of the Joetsu Shinkansen opening.

• Kumagaya Station Building AZ opens, developed by Kumagaya Station Development Co., Ltd.

• AZ 2nd opens inside JR Kumagaya Station.

• AZ ROAD opens inside JR Kumagaya Station.

• Third floor of the main building expanded.

• AZ EAST opens on the third floor of Tiara 21.

• Kumagaya Station Development Co., Ltd. merges into Takasaki Terminal Building Co., Ltd.; operation of Az Kumagaya is inherited.

• Eki-site Maebashi opens.

• JR Takasaki Shoji absorbed by company split and Takasaki Terminal Building Shoji absorbed by merger.

• Eki-site Ageo opens.

• Eki-site Takasaki opens.

• Eki-site Kogane opens.

• Local products zone Gunma Iroha opens within Eki-site Takasaki.

• Takasaki Terminal Building becomes a subsidiary of Atre Co., Ltd. and transfers SC-related assets to Atre; Atre owns and manages, Takasaki Terminal Building operates.

• JRE POINT loyalty program introduced at Az Kumagaya.

• Suica Points integrated into JRE POINT; double earning ends at Az Kumagaya.

• Community FM station FM Kumagaya launches with a studio on the sixth floor.

• FM Kumagaya transmitting antenna relocated from the main building to Kumagaya City Hall roof.

A JR East Group station-building shopping center serving commuters and local residents at Kumagaya Station, combining daily necessities, dining, and services in directly connected station facilities.

• AZ main building (Kumagaya Station Building)

  Approximately 6,322 m² of retail space directly connected to Kumagaya Station's north and east rotaries and a third-floor JR ticket gate entrance.

• AZ 2nd

  Approximately 1,556 m² of retail space inside the JR Kumagaya Station concourse area.

• AZ ROAD

  Shops including Japanese confectionery and bakeries in the free passage between the JR and Chichibu Railway ticket gates.

• AZ EAST

  Dining and relaxation zone on the third floor of Tiara 21, directly connected to the east exit and main building.

1. 1アズ熊谷｜駅ビル、アズ熊谷の情報満載！takasakitb.co.jp
2. 2企業情報｜TAKASAKI TERMINAL BUILDING 高崎ターミナルビル株式会社takasakitb.co.jp
3. 3アズ熊谷 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
4. 4Az Kumagaya - Wikidatawikidata.org