The Ginza tailor overcame ¥10 billion in founding-family debt and the risk of halved sales, and is pursuing a comeback by strengthening craftsman training and internal operations under its fourth-generation president.
As the COVID-19 pandemic made face-to-face customer service and measurements more difficult, demand for suits as outdoor wear declined, causing sales to fall by more than half. The founding family was reported to have debts of around ¥10 billion. Shoko, who became president, began fundamental reforms of the business with a strong sense of urgency.
As part of efforts to strengthen its internal operations, the company rebuilt its craftsman training system and created a clear training curriculum for young craftspeople. It assigned veteran craftspeople as dedicated instructors and made the stages of technical training visible. It also made the salary structure more transparent and introduced a career advancement system showing which skills must be acquired, and in how many years, for salaries to increase. The company established evaluation points for ancillary duties and put in place a system for providing incentives.
By pursuing this internal investment and personnel development, the company has indicated its policy of overcoming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting organizational growth and the transfer of technical expertise.