Higher labor costs due to severe labor shortages
First written in FY2018-Q3. 8 of 22 entries say "Restated". Latest entry: 2026-09-30.
Poplar moved to the "Worse" side of this theme in 2019, 1 year before the typical company in this theme (2020).
The whole theme swung hardest in 2025: 36 of 59 companies on the "Worse" side.
16 other companies' latest entry also says "Materialised".
- FY2026RestatedAnnual report
「The company considers securing labor for the future to be an immediate issue and is implementing 4 specific measures: ① securing foreign workers, ② supporting working seniors, ③ supporting working women, and ④ improving productivity.」
The challenge of securing labor continues. The company identified 4 specific measures—supporting employment of foreign workers, seniors and women, and improving productivity—but did not state that the labor-shortage risk itself had been resolved. - FY2026-H1MaterialisedAnnual report
「On the other hand, the impact was substantial from higher raw material prices for rice and seaweed, increased costs including persistently high energy prices and rising labor costs, and upfront expenses incurred to establish a production system capable of increasing output,」
Rather than the labor shortage itself, rising labor costs were described as an actual increase in costs during the interim consolidated accounting period and, together with upfront expenses for establishing an increased-production system, affected profit. - FY2025WorsenedAnnual report
「The group needs to secure sufficient personnel to operate convenience store outlets, bento factories and product centers, and to manage and operate its franchise system. If it becomes difficult to secure personnel needed to operate each business because of labor shortages, or if declining employee retention increases the burden on remaining employees, a shortage of managers disrupts operations, or quality declines, the group's operating results and financial position could be adversely affected.」
The labor-shortage risk has been further specified to include difficulty in recruiting, declining retention, increased burdens on remaining employees, a shortage of managers and resulting quality deterioration. - FY2024WorsenedAnnual report
「Although sales have recovered in the convenience store industry, the business environment remains difficult owing to labor shortages, soaring labor, utility and other costs, and succession issues.」
In addition to labor shortages and soaring labor costs, rising utility costs and succession issues have been explicitly identified as factors contributing to the difficult operating environment, including at franchise stores. - FY2024-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「During the cumulative second quarter of the fiscal year, normalization of economic activity progressed as COVID-19 was reclassified as a Class 5 disease and traffic recovered. However, the challenging environment continued amid soaring energy and raw-material prices, a serious labor shortage and the 2024 logistics problem.」
While indicating the normalization of economic activity, the company continues to cite the serious labor shortage as a factor contributing to the difficult business environment. - FY2023WorsenedAnnual report
「Difficult conditions continue, including deterioration in the operating environment at individual stores caused by labor shortages and soaring labor and utility costs.」
In addition to labor shortages and soaring labor costs, deterioration in the operating environment at individual stores caused by rising utility costs has been explicitly identified, broadening the factors driving store operating costs. - FY2023-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「The difficult business environment continues, owing to labor shortages, soaring labor costs and the deterioration of the operating environment at individual stores.」
Labor shortages and soaring labor costs have materialized not only as a personnel-recruitment issue but also as deterioration in the operating environment at individual stores. - FY2022RestatedAnnual report
「The group needs to secure sufficient personnel to operate convenience store outlets, bento factories and product centers, and to manage and operate its franchise system. If labor shortages make it difficult to secure the personnel needed to operate each business, the group's operating results and financial position could be adversely affected.」
The difficulty of securing personnel needed for stores, factories, centers and franchise operations continues to be identified as a risk. - FY2021-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「Although the situation has been recovering slightly since the lifting of the state of emergency, it has led to changes in lifestyles themselves, and a substantial recovery has not been achieved.」
The company states that changes in lifestyles have prevented a substantial recovery in economic activity and the environment for attracting customers even after the state of emergency was lifted. - FY2021-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「In response to difficulties securing staff and to limit store cost burdens, the company experimentally introduced self-checkout at some stores, helping to maintain their operations.」
The existing labor-shortage risk has materialized under COVID-19 as a situation in which securing personnel is difficult. - FY2020-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「The company additionally introduced LINE Pay, Origami Pay and au PAY to diversify payment methods, and switched to a new POS system with semi-self-checkout functionality to address staff shortages.」
Against the continuing labor shortage, the company switched to a new POS system equipped with semi-self-checkout functionality as a response measure. - FY2020-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「To address the increasingly difficult operating environment at franchise stores, owing to soaring labor costs and the impact of competing stores, as well as food waste, which has become a social issue, the company has been promoting discounted sales of rice-based products at stores that do not operate 24 hours a day since the previous consolidated fiscal year,」
The company states that the operating environment at franchise stores is becoming more difficult owing to soaring labor costs and the impact of competing stores. - FY2019WorsenedAnnual report
「The retail industry remained in a difficult operating environment as competition across business formats intensified further, alongside rising logistics costs and the increasingly serious labor shortage.」
The wording concerning the labor shortage was strengthened from the previous description of a serious situation to “a worsening problem,” and it was cited as a factor contributing to the difficult business environment. - FY2019-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「The retail industry remained in a difficult operating environment, including intensifying competition among companies in the same industry and across different industries, as well as the increasingly serious labor shortage.」
The labor shortage has been described as a worsening problem rather than merely a serious situation, and is cited as a factor contributing to the difficult business environment. - FY2019-Q1RestatedAnnual report
「The retail industry remained in a difficult environment, with stagnant personal consumption due to persistently strong consumer cost-consciousness, declining customer numbers as competition intensified across business categories and formats, and a continuing serious labor shortage.」
The serious labor shortage continues to be cited as a factor contributing to the difficult environment in the retail industry. - FY2018RestatedAnnual report
「The environment surrounding the convenience store industry is expected to remain difficult, owing to chronic labor shortages and rising raw material costs, among other factors.」
The company continues to identify the chronic labor shortage as an industry risk and recognizes that the difficult environment, including soaring labor costs, is likely to continue. - FY2018-Q3First statedAnnual report
「In addition, the operating environment remains challenging, due to factors including higher labor costs resulting from a serious labor shortage and soaring raw material prices.」
The increase in labor costs associated with a serious labor shortage was identified for the first time as a standalone theme and a factor contributing to the continuing difficult business environment.