Original Merchandiseand Services

SOFUOLS OF UO L h a s m a r k e d t h e 10 t hanniversary. Targeting working
women mainly in their 20s and 30s,
the brand oﬀers sophisticated stylingbased on four tastes including mode,natural, feminine and French trad tocater to their business, commuting
and weekend fashion needs.

18Seeking Originality Readily Adaptable to Changes
in Customer Needs
The role of independently operated sales sections of which sales

comprehensive manner and accelerate our eﬀorts to restructure theaccount for about 20% of total department store sales issupply chain.

diﬀerentiation and characterization through the quick change of
product selections and displays in response to daily changes in the

Independently operated sales sections

market and the oﬀering of merchandise that is not included in theSelect shops are one of the factors constituting the originality of theassortment of shops.

store through the attractive items that buyers and sales staﬀ selectSuch non-partitioned open space is scalable to customer needs,

using their fashion sense. Daimaru operates Season Message

and there we can change merchandise mix and sell goods acrossoﬀering women s wear and accessories to baby boomers and post

shop boundaries. Making the best use of these strong points, we will

baby boomers and Meiprior carrying trendy women s shoes andrespond to changes ﬂexibly, as well as oﬀering unique merchandisebags purchased directly from Italy, France and other European

and using our sales and service capabilities, to overwhelmingly

countries. Matsuzakaya s select shops include Flair For Ef

diﬀerentiate ourselves from competing department stores.

targeting women with a sharp eye for fashion and Denim Diner

Private brands（PB）

with a wide selection of imported jeans popular abroad. Sales staﬀ
are working with buyers to stimulate potential needs using their

Concerning private brands, we are involved in the whole SCM

information and sensibility, which can be obtained because they

process from the stage of product planning. Basically, clothing items

serve customers on the front line all the time.

are priced at 20% oﬀ the prices of national brands. Lately, however,One example during ﬁscal 2008 is the baggy pants that some

we expand our focus to a low price range of 50% oﬀ national brandsales staﬀ of Flair For Ef jointly developed with suppliers. They wereprices to satisfy customers who are becoming more price-conscious.

also involved in order placement and product planning. Reﬂecting

A representative example is a men s wear brand Trojan, whichcustomer needs for comfortable and ﬁgure-forgiving denim pants andhas celebrated the 50th anniversary of its establishment. Its highquality material, excellent tailoring and reﬁned urbane image continue

adding a trendy touch, they proposed the new item.

to attract sensible businessmen. A contemporary line was newly

Collaboration

added to the existing basic line to strengthen our approach to new

Daimaru and World Co., Ltd., an apparel company achieving good

customers. A women s wear brand Sofuol marking its 10th

results in SPA brand strategy, established a new business model andanniversary is mainly targeted at working women in their 20s and 30s

collaborate to oﬀer a women s wear brand Esche.

and caters to their business, commuting and weekend fashion needs

joint business unit as business partners, instead of the traditionalwith sophisticated styling.

supplier-buyer relationships, Daimaru and World share information

Forming a virtual

As part of the eﬀorts to seek synergy through the management

and clarify the distribution of proﬁts to collaborate using the core

integration between Daimaru and Matsuzakaya, we introduced thesecompetence of each company, that is, Daimaru s ability to operate

two brands, which were both created by Daimaru and have enjoyed astores and World s ability to develop and supply merchandise, instead

deep-rooted popularity among customers, to Matsuzakaya Nagoyaof the conventional way of developing PB apparel products throughand Ueno stores in ﬁscal 2008 to expand the oﬀering of the private

OEM. In the business process from product planning to selling out,

brands of the Group. We will leverage our private brands in terms of:

the two companies are working together to ensure PDCA

(1) characterization and diﬀerentiation, (2) the increase of(Plan-Do-Check-Action) cycle and respond quickly and accurately toproﬁtability, and (3) human resources development. We will review

customer needs and wants.

product development, logistics, information system, sales promotion,trend-conscious youthful baby boomers and post baby boomers, wesales ﬂoor environment, sales activities and inventory control in aoﬀer good quality, elegant and reasonable outing and work clothes

Targeting plugged-in andwith young minds and trends.

TrojanTrojan has celebrated the 50thanniversary. Its high quality
material, excellent tailoring andreﬁned urbane image continue toattract sensible businessmen. In
2009, a new contemporary line
was added to the existing basic
line to strengthen our approach tonew customers.

escheThis is a total coordinate brand foryouthful baby boomers and post
baby boomers featuring highquality, reﬁnement and reasonable
prices. It oﬀers simple and basic
elegance-oriented street clothes
following moderately trends.

19

Customer s View Project ―Shape Born from the Voices of Customers

Semi-custom boots born from the voices of customers

As part of the eﬀorts to implement the customer-ﬁrst principle, J.
Front Retailing carries on a company-wide Customer s View
project to develop merchandise and improve services and store
environment by attending to the voices of customers reaching into(Placed in stores)

the tens of thousands every year. We have in place the systems
such as Hospitality Memo,

Questionnaire on Merchandise andProduct Development Based on Customers Comments toactively collect various views and needs from customers, while
widely cooperating with Consumer Product End-Use ResearchInstitute, which belongs to the Group, and material manufacturers.
Many products and services have been thus developed, including
machine-washable cashmere knitwear of which annual sales
exceed ¥100 million.

20Productdevelopment

Customer s View Box

Hospitality Memo

(Information note by salespersons)Product Development Basedon Customers Comments(Collecting real comments onlineand at monitor meetings)

Collecting the voices ofcustomers in various ways

Getting
customers
voices into
shapeServices
Facilities
Environment
Customer s
View projectLately, from the voices of customers that it is diﬃcult to ﬁnd bootsﬁtting well around the calves and that they want to choose thedesign and color they like, we developed semi-custom boots called
pattern order boots,

which are available in seven shaftcircumferences, six colors for elegant type and 12 colors for jockey
type, and two heel heights. A bag-in-bag (a drawstring bag toput in another bag) made its debut six years ago to resolve
customers concerns that the contents show through and that thecontents often drop out when they use bags without closures. It
has become established as a popular item with greater variation incolors and patterns.

Multipurpose restroom on the 3rd floor of Daimaru Umeda store

The multipurpose restroom on the east side of Daimaru Umeda
store was born from the demands of the elderly and customers
with babies for a user-friendly restroom. It secures enough space
for a person using a large wheelchair and an attendant to moveeasily. In addition, it is equipped with ostomate-friendly functions,a ﬂush lever in easy-to-operate size and shape, a fold-down bed
and a ﬁtting room. It is accessible to many customers including
the elderly and persons with babies.
New products and services are born from the voices of customers
Bag-in-bagand then they are improved and evolved. Customer s View projectAn example of the improvement of store environment is a multiple

developed with customers enjoys great popularity. We willﬁtting room with light simulation in the women s wear department

continue to identify the demands and complaints of customers

on the 4th ﬂoor of Daimaru Kobe store. This ﬁtting room was born

through daily dialogues with them, create ideas with them andout of customers desires to see how they would look outdoors indevelop services, store environment and merchandise to satisfy

the garments they try on. It simulates various lighting conditions

them.

including in a building and a park so that a customer can see how
diﬀerent the clothing colors look throughout the body. And it hasenough space for wheelchair users and mothers with daughters.
Multiple fitting room on the 4th floor of Daimaru Kobe store

Since various lighting conditions are simulated,a customer can see how different the clothingcolors look throughout the body.

Handrails and other equipments areinstalled.
21