Reducing food waste losses through discount coupons and discounted sales

「During the current consolidated fiscal year, to reduce food waste, a social issue, we extended the shelf-life period of rice balls and converted Popu-ben, boxed meals filled with rice cooked in the store, to chilled products. We also promoted discounted sales at stores that are not open 24 hours for boxed meals and rice balls approaching their consumption deadlines, as well as app-based discounted sales for confectionery, dairy products and other items that had passed the company's designated sales deadline even though sufficient time remained before their expiration dates. In addition, by generally selling Christmas cakes and ehomaki on a pre-order basis, we significantly reduced the disposal of raw materials at factories and products in stores.」

「To improve the sales capabilities of individual stores, the company provided store guidance tailored to each store’s challenges and sales level, including ordering support to raise its challenge category, infrastructure development to attract customers and address food loss, and the introduction of self-checkout to improve labor-hour efficiency.」

「During the current consolidated fiscal year, to reduce food waste, a social issue, we extended the shelf-life period of rice balls and converted Popu-ben, boxed meals filled with rice cooked in the store, to chilled products. We also promoted discounted sales at stores that are not open 24 hours for boxed meals and rice balls approaching their consumption deadlines, as well as app-based discounted sales for confectionery, dairy products and other items that had passed the company's designated sales deadline even though sufficient time remained before their expiration dates. In addition, by generally selling Christmas cakes and ehomaki on a pre-order basis, we significantly reduced the disposal of raw materials at factories and products in stores.」

「Against this backdrop, we worked to convert Popu-ben, boxed meals filled with rice cooked in the store, to chilled products and extend the consumption period of rice balls, while promoting discounted sales centered on ready-to-eat food and app-based discounted sales. In addition, we implemented initiatives to provide ordering support at headquarters' expense to franchisees that tended to order too little out of concern about disposal losses, thereby pursuing higher sales while reducing disposal losses.」

「As product initiatives, the company worked to strengthen individual products and extend their use-by periods, and introduced chilled Popben at stores under the jurisdiction of the Okayama plant. The longer sales period increased the volume of products on display, particularly in the evening and late-night periods, producing a certain degree of improvement in sales and reducing disposal losses. The company also plans to introduce chilled Popben at stores under the jurisdiction of the Hiroshima plant by the end of this year and has begun renovating the necessary equipment.」

「To address the increasingly difficult operating environment facing franchisees, including rising labor costs and competition, as well as food waste, a social issue, we had promoted discounted sales of rice-based products at stores that are not open 24 hours since the previous consolidated fiscal year. During the first quarter of the current consolidated cumulative period, we began extending the shelf-life period of rice balls and converting “Popu-ben,” boxed meals made with rice cooked in the store, to chilled products in the area under the jurisdiction of the Okayama Factory, with the aim of further reducing waste. By extending the time these products are available for sale in stores, we are working to increase sales and reduce waste. Similarly, since the previous consolidated fiscal year, we had introduced and tested in the Kanto region the “No Food Loss” coupon app for discount sales of products removed from shelves after passing the company’s designated sales deadline, even though sufficient time remained before their expiration dates. Having determined that the app had a certain effect in reducing disposal losses, we decided to expand it nationwide.」

「Regarding food waste, a social issue, we used the discount-coupon delivery app “Non Food Loss” and tested discounted sales using discount stickers. After determining that these efforts had achieved a certain reduction in disposal losses, we began expanding them sequentially to stores that are not open 24 hours, representing approximately 70% of our total stores.」