When luxury clothing and shoe brand Bally opened its first flagship store in Asia two years ago, French chief executive Frédéric de Narp felt like he was coming home.
The company selected a site in Ginza, Tokyo's flashiest shopping district, for the two-floor, Sir David Chipperfield designed destination. Precisely 25 years earlier, de Narp's retail career had begun in earnest just down the street.
Aged 21, with $400 (£285) in his pocket, he arrived in the city determined to find a job. De Narp was fixated on Japan and the work ethic of its people that had created a post-war economic superpower, learning the language and martial arts so he would fit in. His narrow ambition was to build a career...