Risk of market contraction, slowing growth and declining service competitiveness
First written in FY2019. 11 of 23 entries say "Worsened", first in FY2020-Q2. Latest entry: 2026-10-14.
Cookbiz moved to the "Worse" side of this theme in 2020, 5 years before the typical company in this theme (2025).
The whole theme swung hardest in 2020: 4 of 8 companies on the "Worse" side.
8 other companies' latest entry also says "Worsened".
- FY2025MaterialisedAnnual report
「Meanwhile, on the earnings front, we have implemented measures for job seekers and hiring companies to achieve sustainable growth and improve performance. However, efforts to attract job seekers did not progress as expected, and the shortage of applications affected earnings.」
The company states that the shortfall in attracting job seekers and the shortage of applications actually affected earnings in the HR business, in connection with the risk of declining market and service competitiveness. - FY2025-H1WorsenedAnnual report
「In the HR business, although revenue increased slightly from the first quarter during the interim consolidated accounting period, issues concerning the recovery of productivity that have continued since the previous consolidated fiscal year remain unresolved, and the business has not fully recovered.」
The company states that the issue of restoring productivity in the HR business has remained since the previous consolidated fiscal year and that the business has not fully recovered. - FY2024WorsenedAnnual report
「In the current consolidated fiscal year, the temporary surge in demand for restaurant personnel accompanying the post-COVID-19 recovery in foot traffic ran its course earlier than initially expected. In addition, the active hiring and training of personnel since the second half of the previous consolidated fiscal year and the recruitment website renewal carried out in April temporarily reduced productivity in the sales organization, and as a result the business did not achieve substantial growth.」
The company states that the temporary surge in demand resulting from the market recovery ran its course earlier than expected, while hiring and training personnel and renewing the recruitment website caused a temporary decline in productivity, preventing substantial growth in the HR business. - FY2024-Q1MitigatedAnnual report
「Under the traditional seasonality of the HR business, the first quarter is normally a quiet period. However, the increase in recruitment demand since the second half of the previous consolidated fiscal year has continued, and the business is recovering further toward pre-COVID-19 trends.」
Regarding recruitment demand in the food service industry after COVID-19, the company states that the increase since the second half of the previous consolidated fiscal year has continued and that demand is recovering toward pre-COVID-19 trends. - FY2023MitigatedAnnual report
「Sales turned to growth, increasing 113.3% year on year in 2022 and 114.1% in 2023, and the food-service industry market is returning to pre-COVID-19 levels.」
Regarding the risk of market contraction and slower growth, the company states that sales in the food service market recovered in 2022 and 2023 and that the market was continuing to recover toward pre-COVID-19 levels. - FY2023-Q3MitigatedAnnual report
「Foot traffic recovered and inbound demand also increased, further raising hiring needs in the food-service industry.」
The company states that the impact on recruitment demand from contraction and slower growth in the food service market was further mitigated by the recovery in foot traffic and inbound demand and rising recruitment needs. - FY2023-Q2MitigatedAnnual report
「The main factors were that social activity was returning to pre-COVID-19 levels and corporate recruitment needs remained firm.」
The company describes some improvement in the contraction of the food service market and recruitment demand caused by COVID-19, as social activity normalized and recruitment needs remained firm. - FY2022-Q3MitigatedAnnual report
「Although the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise again, economic conditions showed signs of recovery as vaccination progressed and social and economic activity resumed without the imposition of restrictions on movement.」
The company states that economic conditions recovered against the risk of contraction in the food service market and recruitment demand, supported by progress in vaccinations and the absence of restrictions on movement. - FY2021WorsenedAnnual report
「The market size contracted sharply to ¥18.2005 trillion in 2020, while annual food-service industry sales in 2021 were 98.6% of the previous year. The izakaya segment, with which the company has particularly close ties, remained in an extremely difficult position, with sales at 56.3% of the previous year due to restrictions and bans on alcoholic beverages.」
The risk of market contraction and slower growth continued in 2021 in the form of weak sales across the food service industry and in the izakaya segment. - FY2021-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「In April 2021, a state of emergency was declared in 4 prefectures, and in May it was expanded to an additional 6 prefectures. In addition, quasi-emergency measures to prevent the spread of disease were imposed in 5 other prefectures. As a result, restaurant customers continued to decline amid restrictions including shorter operating hours, closures and a ban on serving alcoholic beverages, and recruitment needs continued to fall substantially across the food service industry, the primary market served by our services.」
The contraction in food service demand and recruitment needs continued under the expanded state of emergency, quasi-emergency measures to prevent the spread of disease and bans on serving alcoholic beverages. Revenue for the six-month period ended in the second quarter fell 48.6%. - FY2021-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「Following the reissuance of a state of emergency on 7 January 2021 in 1 metropolitan area and 3 prefectures in the Tokyo metropolitan region in response to the spread of COVID-19, and its expansion on 13 January to an additional 7 prefectures, demand for recruitment continued to fall substantially across the food service industry, the primary market served by our services, due to shorter operating hours and closures of restaurants and the substantial decline in restaurant customers resulting from requests to refrain from going out.」
The company states that the decline in food service demand and recruitment needs remained substantial after the state of emergency was reissued. - FY2020WorsenedAnnual report
「We expect the food service market to remain unrecovered in the short term, and have reviewed our cost structure and withdrawn from new businesses for which profitability is not expected for the foreseeable future.」
The risk of market contraction and slower growth has been incorporated into the business plan on the assumption that the food service market will not recover in the short term, creating a need to withdraw from new businesses and review the cost structure. - FY2020-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「Demand in the food service industry has fallen sharply due to the substantial decline in restaurant customers following shorter operating hours and closures of restaurants and requests to refrain from going out, and recruitment demand has also fallen significantly as a result.」
The contraction in market demand and recruitment needs resulting from the decline in restaurant customers has continued even after the state of emergency was lifted. - FY2020-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「The main reason is the substantial decline in recruitment demand across the food service industry, which is the primary market served by our services.」
The decline in recruitment demand accompanying contraction and slower growth in the food service market has emerged as the primary cause of the decline in revenue for the six-month period ended in the second quarter. - FY2020-Q1MaterialisedAnnual report
「The number of customers using restaurants has fallen substantially due to factors including requests to refrain from going out and a significant decline in inbound demand, and demand for recruitment is also beginning to decline.」
The risk of contraction in the food service market and recruitment demand has materialized, with restaurant customer numbers and recruitment needs declining due to requests to refrain from going out and lower inbound demand. - FY2019First statedAnnual report
「However, factors including a contraction or slowdown in the growth of the relevant market, declining competitiveness and falling prices for our various services may affect our operating results and financial position.」
The company has disclosed market contraction, slower growth, declining service competitiveness and falling prices in its business areas as an independent business-environment risk for the first time in this disclosure.