Helping Partners Grow
To further strengthen our collaboration with franchisees, within an equal partnership, we are striving to bring about ongoing increases in store profitability by working to improve the capabilities of individual stores and supporting human resource development.
Working to Improve the Capabilities of Individual Stores
Strengthening Collaboration with Franchisees to Expand Market Shares at the Store Level
Franchisee Support System
The Company, as the franchise headquarters, provides support to 83 franchisees, and 599 stores (as of March 31, 2016), in Japan, endeavoring to strengthen the capabilities of individual stores. Working through two sales headquarters, one for east Japan and the other for west Japan, we have assigned 109 “store counselors” to work out of 12 regional sales management offices. Store counselors are each assigned stores that they visit individually once or twice a week to provide assistance in developing and implementing annual plans based on the direction established by the sales headquarters. They also work to increase store market shares and profitability by providing guidance on creating sales floors, and offering merchandise lines, that respond directly to changes in local customer needs and competitive conditions. Another way through which we work to strengthen the capabilities of individual stores is to identify examples of success, translate them into best practices, and have store counselors communicate these to the stores assigned to them, with appropriate adjustments for local conditions.
Conferences for Sharing Business Directions and Strategies
To strengthen cooperation with franchisees, conferences are regularly held to share information on matters such as chain business directions, important issues for the current business period, and merchandise policies with franchisee top management, store managers, and others.
Committees for Franchise Affairs
| Committee | Purpose | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Managers’ Committee | Reinforcement of chain policy understanding, discussion of key issues for the business period, etc. | 2 times a year | Tokyo |
| Business Direction Committee | Sharing of sales policies, reinforcement of merchandise policy understanding, etc. | 3 times a year | 1 in East Japan, 1 in West Japan |
| Store Managers’ Committee | Sharing of sales policies, reinforcement of understanding of key issues and policies for the business period and for specific strategies | 3 times a year | 12 locations nationwide |
| Area Committee | Sharing of opinions and information between the area representative and franchisee managers | 4 times a year | 1 in East Japan, 1 in West Japan |
Franchisee Human Resource Development Support
Improving Performance through Skill Development for Store Management and Staff
Applying Human Resource Capability Maps
To strengthen the customer service capabilities of franchise stores, individual stores use a human resource capability map to clearly show individual employee progress in developing required skills. The human resource capability map defines these skills in terms of five basic merchandise groups (tires, oil, etc.), high-priority merchandise, and service-pit skills. As such, it is instrumental in evaluating sales capability levels for both individuals and entire stores, preparing store-level OJT plans, and developing human resource development plans. Human resource capability maps allow the Chain Human Resources Department, which provides support for hiring and human resource development at franchisees, to identify conditions with regard to human resources at individual stores and then provide appropriate support.
Education and Training for Store Managers
Training developed for various degrees of capability is conducted to strengthen the performance of store management at all levels. Examples include Operation Seminars for strengthening customer contact points and streamlining store operations, and Seminars on Strengthening Store Strategy Management Capabilities, which teach participants how to develop store strategies and manage stores for ongoing improvements in performance. Store management training is conducted at various locations throughout Japan.
