Dialogue 04

MILLE NNIALS

Dialogue 04

Millennials Slated to Drive the Future of MARUI GROUP
Winning Customer Favor
as Key to Future GrowthEstablishment of Inclusionas the New Standard

Entry into the Businessof Inclusion

Job-Hunting Students Included
Among Stakeholders

Bright and Fulfilling Futureat Home and at Work

Unique Corporate Culture
Motivating Young Employees

Markets are shrinking in Japan as thebirthrate declines and the population
ages. For this reason, inclusion initiatives
targeting all customers are in line withthe direction Japan itself will need tohead in the future. These initiatives will
therefore be key to the future growth of
MARUI GROUP. Winning the favor of awide range of customers will no doubt
create results in the form of earnings.
I hope to help MARUI GROUP in winning
this favor by thinking about what we cando to aid customers and society, without
being bound by existing frameworks, sothat the Company can earn greater
praise from society.

When I was in university, I had many
opportunities to interact with differently
abled individuals. These interactions mademe doubt the validity of the establishedsocial dichotomy that divides people into
the supported and the supporters. The
concept of inclusion, I believe, can help us
establish a new standard of including
those who had previously been left behindas they are. MARUI GROUP’s idea ofco-creation management, which seeks toexpand the intersection between theinterests of stakeholders, is revolutionary. This approach gives MARUI GROUP,
a single company, the potential tochange all of society.

MARUI GROUP’s inclusion initiatives
really resonate with me. In university,
I studied base of the economic pyramidbusinesses. During my studies, I learned
about Unilever, a company that makes abusiness of providing soap to people
around the world. I thus realized thatinclusion is not just social contribution;
it is a viable business concept, a conceptthat will be crucial to the future growthof Japan. I hope that MARUI GROUP’s
inclusion initiatives will spread to othercompanies and throughout society, oreven that the Company will come to leadall of Japan on this front.

I was moved by the idea of co-creation
management, which entails creating
together with all stakeholders from theperspective of inclusion. When job
hunting, most companies only supplied
me with simple booklets containing
information selected specifically for job
hunters. MARUI GROUP, however,provided me with its co-creation
management reports and co-creation
sustainability reports. It was then that
I realized how the Company sees us
job-hunting students as included among
stakeholders alongside investors andshareholders. MARUI GROUP was thefirst company to exhibit this sentiment.

I felt an attachment to MARUI GROUP
when I heard of how the Company waspromoting customer diversity with afocus on age, gender, and physicalcharacteristics. Such initiatives are rareamong Japanese companies. I found it
most appealing how business initiatives
are shaped based on meetings withcustomers and how employees strive tobring joy to customers. At MARUIGROUP, I hope to continue working
vigorously, eventually getting married,
having kids, and growing into the type ofperson my kids can be proud of. I see
such a bright and fulfilling future for me
at MARUI GROUP.

During my internship at MARUI GROUP,
I toured the head office as well as distribution centers located outside of Tokyo.
There, I saw the Company’s corporate
philosophy of “continue evolving to betteraid our customers” as a shared sentiment
held by employees of all ages. I was also
impressed with the Medium-Term
Management Visionary Committee andother official project teams. Based onvoluntary participation, these bodies werevenues for growth and for dialogue withmanagement. All of these are aspects ofMARUI GROUP’s unique corporate
culture that contribute to the motivation ofyoung employees.

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Nozomu Inose

Kana Hase

Akiya Hamatsu

Karin Sugie

Eri Ichikawa

Kei Sato

Educational background:Sports and wellness

Educational background:
Communications and media studies

Educational background:
Humanities and social sciences

Educational background:
Earth and planetary sciences

Educational background:
Cultural and creative studies

Educational background:
Cross-cultural studies

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Dialogue 04

Reason for Joining MARUI GROUP    Sato: During my internship, I learned that MARUI GROUP
was more than just a retailer; it also utilized IT to conductcredit card and omni-channel retailing operations. I therefore thought that MARUI GROUP would be a place atwhich I could grow by experiencing various positions asI develop my career. This is why I decided to join.
Hase: I had previously shopped at Marui stores andbought their private brand products. I was surprised tolearn of the Company’s unique business model andcorporate philosophy. My reason for joining was how theunderlying principle of aiding customers is treasured in
all of MARUI GROUP’s varied and differing businesses.
I sensed an unwavering resolve in this commitment.
Hamatsu: I was, of course, convinced by MARUIGROUP’s corporate philosophy and job description.
However, the main reason I decided to join was simply
that all of the employees were people I wanted to workwith. During my internship, I felt that they were earnest in
their approach to us students, looking to ascertain ourindividual qualities. The idea of finding a position thatsuits me through the profession change system andcontinuing to grow there was also highly appealing.
Sugie: I too felt that MARUI GROUP looked at us students as individuals, and it seemed like they chose whoto hire based on who they truly wanted to work with. I
liked how they positively evaluate people who are proactive. The fact that the Company values diversity is apparent. The importance placed on engagement is also

36obvious. I thus joined because I felt like I could work here
while being myself.
Ichikawa: During my internship and at discussion
forums, I was able to interact with several MARUIGROUP employees, making me want to work with them.
I was also attracted to MARUI GROUP’s focus on serving
customers and how the Company evolves its business
together with the changing times.
Inose: I think MARUI GROUP is unique in the breadth ofits business and the amount of importance it places on
evolution and growth. I plan to go all out no matter whichof the Company’s businesses I find myself in, whether
they be operated by Epos Card, AIM CREATE, MOVING,
or another company, and to pursue unrelenting personal
growth. I believe that no company will be more suited tomy growth over the coming decades than MARUI GROUP.

Ambitions to Be Pursued at MARUI GROUP    Hamatsu: MARUI GROUP is transitioning its stores
toward a shopping center model that generates realestate revenues. I believe this makes it so that theCompany’s business partners are also its customers.
When thinking of how to help partners succeed in theirbusiness, I came to the realization that shopping center
Marui stores need to offer more than just convenience;
they must be able to provide more appealing value.
I hope to get involved with people outside of MARUIGROUP as I work to serve customers.

Ichikawa: In addition to retailing, MARUI GROUP is also
engaged in credit card and various other operations.
I want to make as many people as possible aware of thisfact. I also think that the try-on store scheme used withRakuchin Kirei series of shoes is an amazing system.
I hope to help spread this system throughout Japan.
Sato: I hope to spread the word about the wide range ofsizes Rakuchin Kirei series of shoes and other products
are available in, not just to Japanese people, but also to
non-Japanese people and people visiting Japan. Also, I
know a lot of people who do not realize that EPOS cards
belong to MARUI GROUP. I hope to teach such people
more about the Company.
Inose: MARUI GROUP has a corporate philosophy
based on aiding customers as well as a wide-ranging
business. I hope to further develop MARUI GROUP intoa unique entity that earns society’s praise by advancing
the type of initiatives that only MARUI GROUP can.
Rather than being satisfied with simply finding a job,
I will strive to continue evolving. I am well aware of theimportance of linking my own evolution to the evolutionof MARUI GROUP.
Hase: MARUI GROUP is advancing a wide variety ofunique and inclusive initiatives. I hope that such initiatives will become a common fixture in society in thefuture. Right now, MARUI GROUP’s business is centeredon the Retailing business and the FinTech business, but
this too will likely change going forward. It is my goal tomake MARUI GROUP into a company that people are
happy to have around, no matter how society changes,by helping the Company implement various initiatives forserving customers.
Sugie: I am confident that MARUI GROUP’s inclusion
initiatives will become commonplace in society in thefuture. The coming era will be one in which businesses
actively seek to include those who have previously been
excluded. I hope that my generation will grow MARUIGROUP into a company that others continue to follow inthis coming era of inclusion. I may have overspecialized
during my university years, but I now feel like I have
limitless potential. I plan to tackle all challenges head on
going forward.

Maho Yamada
Educational background: Frontier media science

Enjoyment of Changes and Differences Experienced
in Various Positions
My background is in mathematics, but the part-time job I started
in my sophomore year of university taught me the joy of providing customer service face-to-face, making me want to get a sales
job that is closely linked to customers. Realizing that MARUIGROUP was the most devoted to its customers, I chose to join
the Company. MARUI GROUP offers various positions. I therefore hope to enjoy changes and differences as I experience
positions that are suited to me.

Yuto Takeuchi
Educational background: Political science

Drive to Aid Customers from the Perspective of Inclusion
When I first started job hunting, I read MARUI GROUP’sCo-Creation Sustainability Report 2016. I felt an immediateconnection with the Company when I read the discussion
between President Aoi, a differently abled individual, and atransgender person. Sensing that the concept of inclusion wasentrenched throughout the Company, I decided to join. I had
hoped to work at a company like MARUI GROUP, and soon it
became the sole target of my job hunt. I feel incredibly motivatedby being able to work in an environment that lets me search forways to better aid customers from various perspectives.

Akari Misu
Educational background: Social services

Spread of Inclusive Values throughout SocietyIt was the appeal of MARUI GROUP’s management stance ofvaluing all customers that inspired me to join the Company. I wasparticularly struck by the inclusive approach toward management
demonstrated by initiatives at Hakata Marui based on input fromdifferently abled individuals as well as the suit try-on event held
for members of the LGBT community. MARUI GROUP does notsee differently abled individuals and members of the LGBT
community as the targets of volunteer activities or support drives,
but rather treats them as regular customers. I think this approach
will contribute to an inclusive society. I want to be in the businessof spreading such inclusive values throughout society.

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