New Formats and Product Development to Offset Reliance on a Single Brand

「During the fiscal year, we sold a total of 22 seasonal limited-time products, including 7 summer limited-time products developed in response to record heat caused by global warming.」

「The company is actively developing its menu by leveraging direct manufacturing and sales from its own factories, creating new value in both its core products (the standard menu) and seasonal and limited-time products. This is intended to increase visit frequency among existing customers and provide new customers with a menu lineup that does not become repetitive, regardless of when they visit, thereby establishing the "幸楽苑" brand. In response to this year's extreme summer heat, the company sold 7 products focused on refreshment, including "冷し中華" and "つけめん," as well as 3 limited-time products, including "山形風芋煮らーめん."」

「The other food-service business consisted of 1 "餃子の味よし" store and 1 company-operated "焼肉ライク" store.」

「The other food-service business consisted of 5 company-operated "焼肉ライク" stores, 1 company-operated "焼肉食堂まんぷく" store and 1 "餃子の味よし" store.」

「The other food-service business consisted of 8 company-operated "焼肉ライク" stores, 1 company-operated "焼肉食堂まんぷく" store, 7 company-operated "からやま" stores, 4 company-operated "赤から" stores and 1 "餃子の味よし" store.」

「The other food-service business consisted of 11 company-operated "焼肉ライク" stores, 1 company-operated "焼肉食堂まんぷく" store, 7 company-operated "からやま" stores, 4 company-operated "赤から" stores, 2 "餃子の味よし" stores and 1 "VANSAN" store.」

「In the other food-service business, 4 stores were converted to "餃子の味よし," the first gyoza bar format since the company's founding. The portfolio consisted of 12 company-operated "焼肉ライク" stores, 7 company-operated "からやま" stores, 5 company-operated "赤から" stores, 4 "餃子の味よし" stores and 1 "VANSAN" store.」

「Regarding store expansion, 4 stores were converted to the "幸楽苑 since1954＋幸楽苑のからあげ家" format. The number of company-operated stores was 386, down 17 year on year. By format, there were 376 "幸楽苑" stores, 1 "KOURAKUEN THE RAMEN CAFE" store, 6 "幸楽苑 since1954＋幸楽苑のからあげ家" stores and 3 "幸楽苑の家系らーめんトラック野郎 since2021" stores.」

「Regarding store expansion, 4 stores were converted to the "幸楽苑 since1954＋幸楽苑のからあげ家" format. The number of company-operated stores was 391, down 15 year on year. By format, there were 381 "幸楽苑" stores, 1 "KOURAKUEN THE RAMEN CAFE" store, 6 "幸楽苑 since1954＋幸楽苑のからあげ家" stores and 3 "幸楽苑の家系らーめんトラック野郎 since2021" stores.」

「Regarding store development, we converted 4 stores to Kourakuen since1954 + Kourakuen no Karaageya. The number of company-operated stores was 395, down 13 stores year on year. By format, there were 386 Kourakuen stores, 1 KOURAKUEN THE RAMEN CAFE, 6 Kourakuen since1954 + Kourakuen no Karaageya stores and 2 Kourakuen no Ie-kei Ramen Truck Yaro since2021 stores.」

「Karaageya, located alongside ramen stores, opened its first location at Kourakuen Cosmos-dori in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, in June 2019 and had reached 100 stores by the end of the current consolidated fiscal year. Regarding store development, we converted 2 stores to Kourakuen since1954 + Kourakuen no Karaageya and 2 stores to Kourakuen no Ie-kei Ramen Truck Yaro since2021.」

「Karaageya, located alongside ramen stores, reached 100 stores in 2 years and 6 months after the opening of its first location at Kourakuen Cosmos-dori in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, in June 2019. Regarding store development, we converted 2 stores to Kourakuen since1954 + Kourakuen no Karaageya and 2 stores to Kourakuen no Ie-kei Ramen Truck Yaro since2021. The number of company-operated stores was 403, down 12 stores year on year. By format, there were 398 Kourakuen stores, 1 KOURAKUEN THE RAMEN CAFE, 2 Kourakuen since1954 + Kourakuen no Karaageya stores and 2 Kourakuen no Ie-kei Ramen Truck Yaro since2021 stores.」

「Regarding store development, we converted 2 stores to the hybrid format combining ramen and fried chicken, Kourakuen since1954 + Kourakuen no Karaageya.」

「The franchise business had 17 stores (12 domestic and 5 overseas). In the other food-service business, the company operated 4 Ikinari! Steak stores, 10 Yakiniku Like stores, 7 Karayama stores and 5 Akakara stores.」

「In the other food-service business, the company closed 12 stores, leaving 4 company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores, 10 company-operated Yakiniku Like stores, 7 company-operated Karayama stores and 5 company-operated Akakara stores.」

「The franchise business had 17 stores (12 domestic and 5 overseas). In the other food-service business, the company operated 6 Ikinari! Steak stores, 10 Yakiniku Like stores, 7 Karayama stores and 5 Akakara stores.」

「In the other food-service business, the company operated 7 company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores, 10 company-operated Yakiniku Like stores, 7 company-operated Karayama stores and 5 company-operated Akakara stores.」

「In the other food-service business, the company operated 7 company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores, 10 company-operated Yakiniku Like stores, 7 company-operated Karayama stores and 5 company-operated Akakara stores.」

「In the other food-service business, as part of monetizing assets, we converted stores from the ramen format to 9 Yakiniku Like stores, 7 Karayama stores and 5 Akakara stores. The company operated 16 Ikinari! Steak stores, 10 Yakiniku Like stores, 7 Karayama stores and 5 Akakara stores.」

「In the other food-service business, as part of monetizing assets, we converted stores from the ramen format to 6 Yakiniku Like stores, 4 Karayama stores and 3 Akakara stores. The company operated 16 Ikinari! Steak stores, 7 Yakiniku Like stores, 4 Karayama stores and 3 Akakara stores.」

「In the other food-service business, which comprises Western- and Japanese-style restaurant formats, we converted stores from the ramen format to 2 Yakiniku Like stores and 1 Karayama store as part of monetizing assets. The company operated 16 Ikinari! Steak stores, 3 Yakiniku Like stores and 1 Karayama store.」

「The franchise business had 18 stores (13 domestic and 5 overseas). In the other food-service business, as part of monetizing assets, we operated 16 company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores and 1 company-operated Yakiniku Like store.」

「In the other food-service business, we converted 10 stores from the ramen format to the steak format and 1 store from the ramen format to the yakiniku format, resulting in 16 company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores and 1 company-operated Yakiniku Like store.」

「Regarding store development, to strengthen our existing clusters, we opened 10 Kourakuen stores (7 roadside stores and 3 food-court stores in shopping centers), converted 2 franchise stores to company-operated stores, closed 21 stores (including 10 converted to the steak format), and carried out 1 scrap-and-build project.」

「In the franchise business, we opened 1 store overseas and closed 1 domestic store, bringing the total to 19 stores (15 domestic and 4 overseas). In the other food-service business, as part of utilizing owned assets and optimizing the store portfolio, we converted 10 stores from the ramen format, bringing the number of company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores to 16.」

「In the franchise business, we opened 1 store overseas, bringing the total to 20 stores (16 domestic and 4 overseas). In the other food-service business, as part of monetizing assets, we converted 4 stores from the ramen format, bringing the number of company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores to 10.」

「In the franchise business, we opened 1 store overseas, bringing the total to 19 stores (16 domestic and 3 overseas). In the other food-service business, we opened 1 new steak-format store and converted 5 stores from the ramen and Japanese-food formats to the steak format, bringing the number of company-operated Ikinari! Steak stores to 6.」

「To achieve a 1,000-store group network and establish an efficient management structure, we entered into a franchise agreement with PEPPER FOOD SERVICE CO.,LTD. and began developing a new business format. The franchise business had 18 stores, including 2 overseas stores (16 domestic and 2 overseas). In the other food-service business, 1 store was converted to the steak format, resulting in 2 company-operated stores: 1 Tonkatsu Denpachi store and 1 Ikinari! Steak store.」

「As part of developing new business formats, we will convert 1 existing Tonkatsu Denpachi location in December 2017 to the Ikinari! Steak format.」

「H. Strengthening product development capabilities and refining core products We also worked to improve customer traffic and average spend per customer by adding limited-time products, such as chilled sesame chicken noodles, and reduced-sodium menu items, such as reduced-sodium Chinese noodles.」

「Alongside continued aggressive new store openings, we have pursued the development of new business formats and products and strengthened quality improvements covering products and services.」

「Against this backdrop, based on our group’s medium- to long-term management strategy, with the corporate objective of achieving long-term and stable growth in corporate value, and with “the first year of structural reform through execution of the medium-term management plan” as our action goal, we continued to open new locations proactively while promoting the development of new formats and products and strengthening quality reform for products and services.」

「As consumer needs become increasingly diverse, there are limits to the growth of a single brand. We will take on the challenge of developing new business formats that incorporate the perspectives of younger consumers and women.」