Monotaro

MonotaRO Co., Ltd., is a Japanese e-Commerce company of industrial supply products based in Hyogo, Japan.  The company was named to Forbes Asia "Best Under A Billion" list in 2013. 

Overview 
MonotaRO sells Maintenance, repair, and operations products through internet and catalogs, targeting small and mid-sized manufacturing companies.  MonotaRO sells various product categories such as Personal protective equipment, hand tools, fasteners, and lab supplies.   It has more than 1 million customers in Japan. 

The company name MonotaRO is an acronym for Maintenance, Repair & Operations.   It also means to have sufficient number of products in Japanese.   It is also a play on the name of the Japanese hero Momotaro. 

Global expansion 
In 2013, MonotaRO began web-based sales in Singapore.  In 2014 web-based sales expanded to Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia. 
Now they ship to following countries. ( countries names are arranged alphabetically)

History 
 2000 - Sumitomo and W. W. Grainger, Inc. founded a company as joint venture in Japan
 2001 - Website launch, which began and nationwide sales  
 2004 - Start selling private label (MonotaRO, Otokomae-MonotaRO, and Osaka-Spirit) 
 2006 - Launch IHC MonotaRO, targeting private use customers 
 2006 - Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
 2009 - W. W. Grainger, Inc. acquired a majority ownership of the company 
 2013 - Started service in Singapore
 2014 - Started service in Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia

References

External links 
 MonotaRO 
 IHC.MonotaRO 
 MonotaRO Singapore
 MonotaRO Malaysia

Category:Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Category:Industrial supply companies
Category:Online retailers of Japan
Category:W. W. Grainger