Shop Airlines chooses Amsterdam as new base
The Japan-based netprice.com, Ltd. and its subsidiary Shop Airlines Ltd. (SAL) have established a new European base in Amsterdam. SAL Europe is in operation as of May 2011. Partnering exclusively with eBay, Shop Airlines acts as a buying concierge for Japanese customers.
A world of shopping
Japanese consumers can access eBay online through SAL’s website, called Sekaimon – in Japanese, ‘sekai’ stands for ‘world’, ‘kaimon’ for ‘shopping’ and ‘mon’ for ‘gate’.
Via this web portal, customers see the listings from eBay translated into Japanese. Sekaimon also offers cross border payment and shipping services.
Optimal base for European expansion
According to the company, the Netherlands’ leading role in global trade, its international talent pool and excellent IT infrastructure, as well as an efficient tax and legal system, provided the optimal conditions to expand SAL’s global ecommerce business.
Furthermore, the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is located at the centre of the Western European market. This means it is perfectly situated as a hub to collate and transport purchased goods from Europe to Japan.
Tax treaty
The long trading history between Japan and the Netherlands and the revised tax treaty between the two nations are also key factors that have positively influenced the company's decision to opt for this Amsterdam location. On 25 August 2010, a new tax treaty between the two countries was signed in Tokyo.
This treaty reduces the rates of withholding taxes on dividends, interest and royalties. For companies from the Netherlands, this makes it more attractive to do business in Japan, while Japanese companies will find that it’s more beneficial to invest in the Netherlands.
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