NTT Docomo reportedly detailed plans to reduce its domestic retail outlets by about 30 per cent by 1 April 2025 due to falling footfall.

Japanese news outlet ImpressWatch reported Docomo President Motoyuki Ii outlined the strategy involved closing around 700 of its 2,300 Japanese stores in response to a longer upgrade cycle for handsets and more customers making purchases online.

Ii said the company aims to make the number of stores in each area match local demand to help improve profitability.

The operator last week revealed mobile service revenue declined 5.6 per cent year-on-year in its fiscal Q4 2021.

Docomo’s retail plan reportedly part of a wider effort to control costs through structural reforms introduced after parent NTT took the operator private.