OREANDA-NEWS. October 3, 2012. Panasonic Corporation today announced plans to open a new showroom in Osaka that will act as a global communications hub for linking Panasonic and its customers. The company's two existing showrooms in the city, Panasonic Center Osaka and Panasonic Living Showroom Osaka*, will be merged, and the brand new Panasonic Center Osaka will launch next spring in the Umekita area now being developed just to the north of the Osaka central station.

The new Panasonic Center Osaka will operate under the concept of "co-creation," whereby Panasonic and its customers exchange ideas to think about and create new value for life together. The showroom includes Panasonic's latest smart home appliances and a living space that embody tomorrow's lifestyles, which visitors can experience firsthand in a comprehensive manner. The Center is designed to invite visitors to actively participate, using the latest communication method that integrates real and online spaces.

The floors are organized according to the four themes of Living, Beautiful, Delicious and Happy, with Panasonic's cutting-edge products on hand for visitors to try out. Focused on these themes, seminars filled with hints for tomorrow's lifestyles as well as workshops by lifestyle producers, food stylists and designers will be held at the Center.

The Center not only showcases an eco and smart lifestyle Panasonic envisions, with products and services intended to achieve the vision, but also will be a place for interacting with a wide range of visitors, gathering opinions and requests to refine and advance the vision. Also on display will be Panasonic's latest housing equipment. The Center proposes a way of living that fits lifestyle of each individual by presenting total solutions that are unique to Panasonic.

The new home to Panasonic Center Osaka, Grand Front Osaka in the Umekita area, is directly connected to the largest transit terminal in western Japan, with about 2.5 million commuters passing through daily. The Center is expected to contribute to the further development of Osaka and the surrounding Kansai area as a new hot spot attracting people from all over the world. At the same time, the new showroom will help build a stronger bridge between Panasonic and its customers, especially untapped customers, including those who are highly sensitive to new trends and products, and from Asian countries. The Center will also help enhance the recognition of the Panasonic brand globally and make people feel closer to the brand. Listening to customers' voices gathered at the Center, Panasonic intends to progress together with its customers, as the company advances toward achieving its vision of becoming a leading Green Innovation Company by 2018, the 100th anniversary of its founding.