Joint Procurement and Cost Reduction by Supermarket Companies

「As part of the earnings-structure reform of the food retail business, we are pursuing cost reform by leveraging the Group's economies of scale through expanded joint procurement of the PB brand Topvalu and national brands (NB). During the current interim consolidated accounting period, Topvalu sales rose to 104.5% of the prior-year period, while joint NB procurement rose to 105.0%.」

「For Topvalu, our private brand, we have leveraged the group's scale and capabilities to build and continuously enhance a comprehensive supply chain covering product strategy and planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics and store operations.」

「To improve profitability, which is an issue, we began reforming supply-chain management and process centers.」

「As an example of an initiative demonstrating the strength of our supply chain, amid the continuing shortage of rice, we procured approximately 20,000 tonnes of government-held rice through negotiated contracts and began selling it nationwide in stages from early June. In urban areas, where demand was particularly high, we launched sales ahead of schedule and responded quickly by leveraging group-wide procurement and our logistics network.」

「In the food business, the next-generation prepared-food process center "Craft Delica Funabashi" (Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture), which enables efficient production and sales while providing restaurant-quality products, began operations in June. At the logistics center "Aeon Fukuoka XD" (Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City), which began full-scale operations in July, we are promoting improvements to on-site processes and automation of logistics work to reduce workloads and improve productivity.」

「During the current interim consolidated accounting period, the Maruetsu Soka Delica Center began full-scale operations. In addition to expanding the assortment of growing prepared-food products, the center aimed to reduce store workloads and began supplying products to approximately 500 group stores.」

「As part of supply-chain reform, the Maruetsu Soka Delica Center (Soka, Saitama Prefecture) began full-scale operations during the first quarter of the current consolidated fiscal year. Alongside developing original products incorporating the expertise of culinary professionals, the center aims to reduce store workloads and plans to supply products to approximately 500 of the group's 529 stores as of the end of the first quarter of the current consolidated fiscal year.」

「Starting in September, we began supplying products from the group's joint distribution center, "U.S.M.H Yachiyo Grocery Center (Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture)," and established a sustainable logistics structure that optimizes store operations.」

「Starting in September, we began supplying products from the group's joint distribution center, "U.S.M.H Yachiyo Grocery Center (Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture)," with the aim of establishing a sustainable logistics structure that optimizes store operations.」

「We are also reducing store operating costs, including by easing store workloads through increased supply from the Okayama General Process Center, which began operations in September.」

「At the newly integrated company, we aim to establish a fair and highly transparent governance structure and foster a flexible, highly innovative corporate culture. We also aim to generate synergies, rather than merely combining the knowledge accumulated by each company, by optimizing products, logistics and process centers and using digital technology to reduce costs and create new business models.」

「We also actively renovated stores, strengthened fresh-food and prepared-food offerings, expanded product assortments, and improved convenience as food-specialty stores. In addition, we advanced productivity-improvement initiatives such as introducing full self-checkout and self-checkout-assisted registers and standardizing work processes.」

「On the expense side, we advanced the introduction of full self-checkout and self-checkout-assisted registers, productivity-improvement initiatives, and a review of staffing allocations between headquarters and stores.」

「We also began joint procurement of certain products with ウエルシアホールディングス㈱ and advanced the partial integration of product-supply operations and the sharing of merchandising information.」

「㈱マルエツ completed the introduction of electronic shelf labels at all マルエツ プチ stores to improve store-level capabilities, and expanded the introduction of fixtures and other items aimed at saving labor.」

「Amid rising procurement costs and various other costs due to labor shortages and higher raw-material prices, ユナイテッド・スーパーマーケット・ホールディングス㈱ and its consolidated subsidiaries worked to reduce costs under the group's common strategy by continually integrating procurement functions for certain product departments and expanding the scope of joint procurement. As part of cost-structure reform, they promoted labor-cost growth control through the streamlining of administrative work and reduced installation costs through joint negotiations for kitchen equipment and store facilities. ㈱マルエツ also promoted the introduction of fixtures and other items aimed at saving labor, while マルエツ プチ expanded the introduction of electronic shelf labels to 50 stores.」

「㈱マルエツ reviewed its procurement structure and improved the accuracy of its procurement and sales plans to improve gross profit margins. As labor-saving initiatives, it expanded self-checkout-assisted registers to 198 stores and introduced electronic shelf labels at 24 urban stores.」

「㈱マルエツ designated the current fiscal year as a year of "transition" to a new business structure. It reviewed its procurement structure, improved the accuracy of its procurement and sales plans, and worked to improve gross profit margins. As a labor-saving initiative, it expanded self-checkout-assisted registers to 198 stores and introduced electronic shelf labels at 20 urban stores.」

「ユナイテッド・スーパーマーケット・ホールディングス㈱ and its consolidated subsidiaries promoted the integration of procurement for certain product departments, expanded jointly planned products and joint procurement, and reduced system costs in the ICT division. As part of an overall cost-structure reform, they worked to reduce costs through joint procurement of materials and other items, as well as to cut operating costs at each operating company. ㈱マルエツ designated the current fiscal year as a year of "transition" to a new business structure. It reviewed its procurement structure, improved the accuracy of its procurement and sales plans, and worked to improve gross profit margins. As one labor-saving initiative, it expanded the introduction of self-checkout-assisted registers to 195 stores.」

「㈱マルエツ designated the current fiscal year as a year of "transition" to a new business structure. It reviewed its procurement structure, improved the accuracy of its procurement and sales plans, and worked to improve gross profit margins. As a labor-saving initiative, it expanded the introduction of self-checkout-assisted registers to 194 stores.」

「In October, the consolidated subsidiary ㈱カスミ opened a meat-processing center at the Sakura Distribution Center in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, to improve logistics efficiency and expand meat-product production capacity in preparation for future store expansion.」

「In June, the 3 companies jointly implemented a promotional campaign, contributing to an increase in customer numbers.」

「We continued working to reduce product costs through joint procurement by the group companies ㈱マルエツ, ㈱カスミ and マックスバリュ関東㈱, and to cut costs for store materials, fixtures and other items.」