Itoham Yonekyu Holdings announced that Senior Executive Officer Nakajima Yuko (中嶋祐子), who is responsible for marketing, will resign effective 30 September. The title "Head of Marketing" will also be removed from the executive officer roster effective 1 October.
Itoham Yonekyu Holdings announced that Nakajima Yuko (中嶋祐子), who oversaw sales promotion for the processed foods business as head of marketing, will resign effective 30 September at her own request. The matter will be handled internally as a personnel reorganisation, and the successor is expected to be reflected in the executive officer roster.
Nakajima's (中嶋) experience as CMO at Nissin KFC provided the basis for her efforts to strengthen brand messaging focused on everyday use, which is said to have contributed to a recovery in performance. However, Itoham Yonekyu Holdings' processed foods business continued to experience lower sales volumes. Sales weight for products such as pizzas, snacks and chicken products fell below the previous year's level for the fourth consecutive period, while ham and sausage sales declined for the sixth consecutive period.
At a new product presentation in August, Nakajima (中嶋) looked back on the results, saying that the cause was an insufficiently balanced sales mix, while pointing to challenges in light of the concentration of resources on core products and competitors' moves. An executive at a competitor pointed out that cooperation with retailers is a prerequisite for sales strategy, and strengthening Itoham Yonekyu Holdings' sales organisation is considered a challenge.
President Urata Hiroyuki (浦田寛之) reportedly acknowledged in an interview with Toyo Keizai that sales were a challenge. The article is limited to paid subscribers, and attention is expected to focus on the sales promotion structure and market response as developments unfold.