Steady uniform sales alongside declining men's casualwear sales

「Sales were ¥13,275 million, down 11.1% from the previous fiscal year. Stockouts and delayed deliveries resulted in lost sales opportunities, while sales of apparel with electric fans and cooling wear, which had grown substantially in the previous fiscal year after companies were required to implement heatstroke-prevention measures, remained sluggish in the current fiscal year due to the resulting decline and the impact of the prolonged rainy season.」

「Sales were ¥6,810 million, down 10.3% year on year. Although apparel with electric fans and cooling wear grew steadily due partly to the heatwave, lost sales opportunities arose because stockouts and delayed deliveries were not fully resolved.」

「Sales were ¥14,936 million, down 11.4% year on year, as replacement demand remained sluggish due to customer companies’ growing focus on reducing expenses in response to soaring raw material and energy prices, and the number of items ordered per project also tended to decline. In addition, as noted above, stockouts and delayed deliveries resulted in lost sales opportunities.」

「Sales were ¥7,595 million, down 12.6% year on year, as customer companies’ growing focus on reducing expenses amid soaring resource and energy prices reduced replacement demand and new orders for custom products, namely uniforms original to each customer company. The prolonged hot weather also delayed the start of the autumn/winter selling season.」

「Sales were ¥16,863 million, down 5.0% from the previous fiscal year, as replacement demand remained sluggish due to customer companies’ growing focus on reducing expenses in response to soaring raw material and energy prices, while the number of items ordered per project also tended to decline.」

「As a result, sales for the nine months ended 31 December were ¥12,094 million, down 5.2% year on year, partly because the recovery in replacement demand following the COVID-19 pandemic had run its course.」

「As a result, sales for the six months ended 31 December were ¥8,693 million, down 4.3% year on year. Although brands including Z-DRAGON increased sales strongly, replacement demand remained sluggish due to rising prices, and sales of cold-weather apparel were sluggish amid the mild winter.」

「For the core JICHODO brand, the company actively promoted products aligned with the SDGs, including highly functional products adaptable to a range of workplace environments and environmentally conscious products made with plant-derived PET fibers, and worked to stimulate corporate demand. For the Jawin brand, it developed products that satisfy customers not only in functionality but also in fashion appeal, under the concept of “stylish and cool for adults,” and sought to improve brand recognition and expand sales and market share through active advertising and promotional activities. For the Z-DRAGON brand, it developed competitively priced products addressing diversifying consumer needs and focused on expanding orders from both corporate and individual customers, positioning the brand as one supported by a broad range of generations, particularly younger customers.」

「As a result, sales for the nine months ended 31 December were ¥12,761 million, up 7.9% year on year, as sales grew steadily across all brands.」

「Sales for the three months ended 30 June rose substantially to ¥4,868 million, up 26.1% year on year, due mainly to advance demand ahead of the price increases from October 2022 and strong sales of summer products, including cooling wear with electric fans, amid the heatwave.」

「As a result, sales for the fiscal year were ¥16,983 million, down 5.0% from the previous fiscal year. Sales to individual customers, centered on Jawin and Z-DRAGON, remained strong, and sales of cooling wear, a heatstroke-prevention product, expanded steadily due to the heatwave from late June. However, demand to replace corporate uniforms remained sluggish due to higher costs resulting from soaring raw material, resource and energy prices, as well as the depreciation of the yen.」

「As a result, sales for the nine months ended 31 December were ¥11,822 million, down 4.8% year on year. Sales to individual customers remained strong, centered on Jawin, Z-DRAGON and FEVER GEAR, but orders for corporate uniforms, which had been recovering, declined again as economic activity remained sluggish due partly to the semiconductor shortage and the issuance of quasi-emergency measures.」

「As a result, sales for the six months ended 30 September were ¥8,412 million, down 3.1% year on year. The Jawin and Z-DRAGON brands and the new FEVER GEAR brand performed well, while corporate demand was also showing signs of recovery. However, sales of the core JICHODO brand struggled due partly to the impact of manufacturing plant shutdowns caused by the semiconductor shortage.」

「As a result, sales for the three months ended 30 June were ¥3,861 million, down 6.0% year on year. This reflected repeated reductions or postponements in orders for original uniforms by customer companies amid the stagnation of economic activity caused by extensions and wider application of the state of emergency and other measures, as well as sluggish sales of cooling wear due to unfavorable weather.」

「As a result, sales for the fiscal year were ¥17,882 million, down 3.2% from the previous fiscal year. Sales of products for individual customers, centered on the Jawin and Z-DRAGON brands, expanded, and medical coats and safety shoes performed well in connection with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Corporate demand was also steadily recovering, particularly from the beginning of the year, but sales deteriorated sharply from mid-May 2021, partly due to the state of emergency and quasi-emergency measures imposed from the end of April 2021 and the rapid spread of the Delta variant. Consequently, the decline in the first half could not be fully offset. Operating profit was ¥2,158 million, up 16.9% from the previous fiscal year, partly because logistics expenses, which had increased in the previous fiscal year due to inventory build-up, were kept under control during the current fiscal year.」

「As a result, sales for the nine months ended 31 December were ¥12,418 million, down 4.0% year on year. Individual demand, particularly for Jawin and Z-DRAGON, expanded, and sales of medical coats and safety shoes grew substantially as products related to measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Orders for corporate uniforms recovered from the beginning of the year, but the recovery was insufficient to fully offset the decline in first-half sales.」

「As a result, sales for the six months ended 30 September were ¥8,677 million, down 7.8% year on year. Sales of Jawin, Z-DRAGON and cooling wear expanded, primarily on individual demand, while medical coats and safety shoes also posted substantial growth as products related to measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, orders for corporate uniforms struggled amid the slowdown in economic activity.」

「Sales to individual customers through distributors grew steadily, centered on the "Jawin" and "Z-DRAGON" brands, while the electric-fan-equipped "Cooling Wear" heatstroke-prevention product also performed well. In footwear, sales and profit from new rain boots and casual-style safety shoes expanded. The "WHISeL" brand of medical and nursing-care wear, which has received high acclaim from medical professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, also substantially exceeded the previous year's level. On the other hand, corporate demand centered on the "JICHODO" brand struggled due to the shift to new-normal work arrangements, including the expansion of remote work, and the postponement of replacement demand resulting from stagnant corporate activity. The presence of rush demand ahead of the consumption tax increase in the previous year's first quarter also affected results, and revenue was ¥4,105 million, down 11.3% year on year.」

「At the core "JICHODO" brand, sales of products for delivery to corporations struggled due in part to the stagnation of business activity accompanying the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, at the next-generation strategic "Jawin" brand, new products developed for younger users achieved strong sales growth. At the global strategic "Z-DRAGON" brand as well, new products sold well, and sales expanded steadily through shops and online retailers.」

「As a result, revenue for the first nine months of the current fiscal year was ¥12,936 million, down 4.2% year on year, as sales were sluggish due to the warm winter and the postponement of corporate demand related to March year-end settlements, while the impact of the spread of COVID-19 also began to emerge.」

「As a result, revenue for the first six months of the current fiscal year was ¥9,409 million, down 2.1% year on year and slightly below the previous year's level. Although sales grew steadily in the spring/summer season, sales of autumn/winter products were sluggish in the autumn/winter season due to the effects of the warm winter and a decline in consumer sentiment following the consumption tax rate increase.」

「As a result, revenue for the first three months of the current fiscal year was ¥4,628 million, up 6.5% year on year, exceeding the previous year's first-quarter result, due to strong sales growth led by the "Jawin" and "Z-DRAGON" brands and the electric-fan-equipped "Cooling Wear," as well as the ability to meet pre-consumption-tax-increase demand through ample inventories. Operating profit was ¥473 million, down 13.1% year on year, due to higher cost of sales, including raw material costs, and higher selling, general and administrative expenses resulting from increased logistics costs associated with higher inventories and increased advertising and promotional expenses from proactive sales promotion looking ahead to the future. Ordinary profit was ¥672 million, up 7.4% year on year, due in part to the recognition of a ¥137 million gain on sales of securities, and quarterly net profit attributable to owners of the parent was ¥458 million, up 4.4% year on year.」

「Revenue was ¥19,359 million, up 11.5% from the previous consolidated fiscal year, exceeding the previous year, due to strong sales growth for the "Jawin" and "Z-DRAGON" brands, "Cooling Wear" as a product for preventing heatstroke, and the men's casualwear business, whose sales expanded substantially through the business-structure transformation, as well as the contribution from 株式会社ライオン屋, which became a subsidiary in the previous consolidated fiscal year.」

「As a result, revenue for the first nine months of the current fiscal year was ¥13,501 million, up 13.9% year on year, supported by strong sales growth in both uniforms and footwear following the appointment of Ichihara Hayato (市原隼人) as image character for the "Z-DRAGON" brand, the steady recovery in sales in the men's casualwear business, and the contribution from 株式会社ライオン屋, which became a subsidiary in the previous consolidated fiscal year, among other factors.」

「In the men's casual business, initiatives with major retailers expanded following the development of new distribution channels, improving both sales and profit.」

「Although uniform sales were sluggish due to lost sales opportunities caused by stockouts, footwear, medical white coats and nursing-care wear, and men's casualwear grew steadily. As a result, revenue was ¥17,359 million, up 1.6% from the previous consolidated fiscal year, exceeding the previous year.」

「Sales in the core uniform business remained solid as delivery delays that occurred in the first half were resolved and lost sales opportunities declined, while footwear, medical white coats and nursing-care wear, and men's casualwear also grew sales strongly,」

「Sales of the core uniform business exceeded the previous year but growth was sluggish due to lost sales opportunities caused by delivery delays, while footwear, medical white coats and nursing-care wear, and men's casualwear grew steadily,」

「As a result, although men's casualwear showed signs of bottoming out, it had not yet recovered, while uniforms, footwear, and medical white coats and nursing-care wear expanded sales steadily. Consequently, revenue for the first three months of the current fiscal year was ¥3,520 million, up 3.3% year on year.」

「Uniforms, footwear, and medical white coats and nursing-care wear grew steadily, and signs of a bottoming out also emerged in men's casualwear, which had continued to struggle,」

「Uniforms, footwear, and medical white coats and nursing-care wear grew steadily, while men's casualwear posted lower sales due to weak advance sales at retailers amid sluggish consumption, although signs of a bottoming out emerged from the business-structure transformation」

「As a result of the measures implemented to improve business performance, uniform sales, particularly footwear and medical white coats and nursing-care wear, have grown steadily. In men's casualwear, although profitability improved through the business-structure transformation undertaken, weak advance sales at retailers due to sluggish consumption resulted in revenue of ¥8,098 million for the first six months of the current fiscal year, down 2.0% year on year, slightly below the previous year.」

「Although uniform sales are growing steadily, sales in men's casualwear, where the business structure is being transformed, have declined substantially due to the termination of licensed-brand agreements and weak advance sales at mass retailers, among other factors.」