November 12, 2020
Skylark Holdings Co., Ltd.

Creating Richness with Value to Society
Contributing to Lifestyle Enrichment and theAdvancement of Society by Creating the Future ofDining
On behalf of Skylark Holdings Co., Ltd., I would like to offer our heartfelt wishes for thespeedy recovery of those suffering from the COVID-19 coronavirus, and express ourrespectful condolences for those who have lost their lives in this pandemic. I would also liketo express our deepest respect for the hard work of all the healthcare professionals and manyothers working to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Business Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2020 (3-month period) and Results
Forecast for Fiscal 2020 Overall
As announced today, with the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, results for thethird quarter of fiscal 2020 were as follows. Net sales stood at 74.5 billion yen (down 23.3billion yen on the previous year) while operating loss stood at 3.1 billion yen (a decrease of
12.0 billion yen from operating profit posted in the previous year). (Profits for our businessbase excluding store impairment losses of 4.8 billion yen stood at a positive figure.)
Although our forecast is that we will secure positive profits in the fourth quarter of 2020, forthe first time in three quarters, we anticipate a net loss of 15.0 billion yen for the year overall.
Future Market Environment
Partly due to Japanese government initiatives such as the Go To Travel and Go To Eat
campaigns, there is a spreading mood of relaxing self-restraint with regard to going out, andmost recently both roadside and city center stores are in a trend of recovery.
In terms of individual brands, sales of brands such as La Ohana, Karayoshi,Musashinomori Coffee, Totoyamichi and other brands clearly for the purpose of eating out
are making a strong recovery, and we anticipate that this trend will continue in the future.
Moreover, with developments such as the spread of working from home and remote lessons

for university students, the "With Corona" lifestyle is now becoming firmly established amongconsumers. We believe that the shift towards daytime-centered lifestyles will continue toprogress steadily going forward. Demand for delivery and takeout services is also continuing
to grow, and we expect that it will increase further in the future.
Initiatives with a View to Recovery of Business Performance from 2021 Onward
Although in terms of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic there is a growing tendency
towards relaxing self-restraint, partly due to the government's Go To campaigns, we believethat with the current state of infections we cannot at all afford to let our guard down.
Accordingly, we believe that it is important for us to swiftly implement business strategies
according to actual conditions in the "With Corona" business environment and its
accompanying lifestyle changes.
We expect sales at existing stores to recover to 85% of 2019 levels under "With Corona"conditions by the end of 2021.
Moving forward, we will continue with the various cost-cutting initiatives that weimplemented in 2020. Coupled with the increase in productivity achieved through IT-related
investments, shorting of business hours and other measures implemented so far, we forecast
operating profits of around 10.0 billion yen for 2021.
Offering Products and Services Demanded by Consumers in the "With Corona" Era
Under "With Corona" conditions, in the restaurant business, it has become more essential
than ever for us to pursue and express deliciousness and the enjoyment of eating out at eachof our stores. In this "With Corona" era, we believe that more consumers will begin to question
what kind of value Skylark can offer. We will gradually implement the strategies stated below,
and seek to accelerate our efforts with a view to increasing sales.
⚫

⚫

⚫

We will also brush up further on the taste of our flagship menu items such as Hamburg
steaks and sauces, which we have developed over the course of many years, in pursuitof a professional taste that cannot be recreated at home.
We will expand our range of daytime menu items, and offer a lineup of finger food andother products which are suitable for customers working from home, or taking classes
remotely.
In addition to digital menu books that enable customers to order casually at their own
preferred timing, we will also continue to provide conventional menu books which allow
customers to turn the pages as they enjoy choosing their desired dish.

Further Expanding Delivery and Takeout Services
Skylark currently offers delivery services at around 1,900 stores, and takeout services ataround 2,800 stores.
With the corona pandemic, demand and recognition for these services have risen
drastically, leading to dramatic growth in sales in comparison with the previous year. Moving
forward, we anticipate a further increase in demand for both delivery and takeout services.
By making maximum effective use of our 3,000 stores located nationwide as hubs forproviding delivery and takeout services, we will seek to develop new delivery needs and set
prices with the aim of increasing the number of orders received.
⚫

⚫

⚫
⚫

Delivery areas will be reviewed on an individual store basis to eliminate the areas without
coverage by shifting some stores to different business types and reorganizing delivery
areas.
We will aim to increase the number of orders received through the shortening of delivery
times, by revising delivery areas for each store or restaurant and creating smaller spheresof business operation.
We will also develop and introduce stores specialized towards delivery, in order to deliverproducts to customers in areas where delivery presented difficulties until now.
By lowering minimum prices for delivery, we will also seek to provide delivery services atprices which are more easily affordable for individual customers.

Developing Our Store Portfolio and Shifting to Alternative Business Types Utilizing
Our Strengths as a Multi-Brand Group
Skylark has a diverse portfolio of more than twenty business categories, and has so farcatered to customer needs by developing and switching to business types which cater tochanges in the geographical areas in which each of its stores do business.
Under "With Corona" conditions there are growing needs for business types that enablepeople to enjoy eating out, where the dishes they wish to eat are clearly defined. We will work
to respond swiftly and flexibly to this trend.
⚫

⚫

We will also work to create a store portfolio to match the current era, by advancing ourshift towards more specialized business categories, with stores such as Musashinomori
Coffee (cafe), La Ohana (Hawaiian), Bamiyan, Syabu-Yo and Totoyamichi (conveyor belt
sushi), which have strongly-defined purposes for customers to visit them. As a result of
this, we will seek to draw out the potential of specific areas for eating out.
In areas with high delivery demand, we will shift towards Gusto restaurants, which arestrong at providing delivery services, and seek to eliminate areas with no delivery
coverage.

Making Maximum Effective Use of the Business Resources of Existing Stores
To respond to the challenges of the "With Corona" era, we believe it is necessary to makemore effective use of the Group's business resources. We will continue to make maximum
effective use of business resources, including our network of around 3,200 stores (saleslocations) nationwide, ingredient procurement leveraging our advantages of scale, production
at our central kitchens, delivery using our own logistics systems, and our unique supply
chains.
1. Tactics making maximum effective use of existing stores⚫ By selling products from our karaage (fried chicken) specialist chain Karayoshi inside⚫

⚫

Gusto restaurants, we will expand sales for eat-in dining, delivery and takeout. (Thesesales will be expanded with the aim of selling at 1,130 restaurants by March 2021.)
We also plan to introduce sushi at all Aiya and Yumean restaurants (235 locations). By
introducing sushi dishes, for which there are growing consumer needs as a special treat
during the COVID-19 crisis, we will make maximum effective use of stores as a businessresource by drawing in demand for in-store dining and expanding the number of locations
offering sushi delivery and takeout services in a single stroke.
We will also maximize our use of store business resources through collaborative sales of
products from a diverse range of business types, such as by selling frozen gyoza
dumplings (one of the flagship products of our Bamiyan restaurants) at all Gustorestaurants, and Syabu-Yo’s shabu-shabu takeout sets.

2. Launching mail-order businesses
We have opened online stores for existing products on Rakuten and Amazon (in November2020), and plan to start selling on our own EC site in 2021.
Enhancing Organizational Structure to Improve Service Quality
To cater to the needs of discerning customers, we will improve the operational quality of eachindividual store, and enhance our organizational structure in order to increase customer
satisfaction.
⚫

⚫

By introducing an area management structure for all business types, we will performrecruitment, employee development and optimal placement on an area basis, and aim toimprove the operational quality of each store.
We will also promote human resources cross-divisionally within the Group, and perform
focused store maintenance and inspections in order to improve the safety and comfort ofour stores.

Fundamental Review of Group-wide Costs, Investments and Productivity
To overcome the difficult current situation, Skylark will work to build a leaner management
framework by cutting costs, reducing cost prices, and reviewing capital investments.
⚫
⚫

⚫

We will institute menu reforms, improve store personnel costs and productivity, and cut
head office expenses and other costs.
We will also work to increase factory productivity and reduce cost prices, throughstrategies such as reviewing factory production processes, changing delivery routes,
expanding internalization of production, sharing ingredients between business types, andreducing the overall quantities of ingredients by revising menus to reduce food loss.
Moving forward, we will also continue to make proactive investments in IT that willcontribute to improving convenience for both customers and restaurant employees, suchas with the digital menu books that we have introduced to date.

Thorough Measures to Prevent the Spread of Infection Among Customers andEmployees
We predict that the spread of COVID-19 infections will continue for the foreseeable future.
We will continue to make necessary investments and implement measures to prevent further
infections both inside and outside our stores and restaurants, in accordance with guidelines
issued by the government and specialist organizations, with a primary focus on the safety ofour customers and employees.
Amid the unclear outlook for the future, we plan to reliably implement the measures describedabove.
I ask for the continued support of all our stakeholders moving forward.

Makoto Tani
Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer
Skylark Holdings Co., Ltd.