Dreams

Our greatest pleasure is offering and achieving “true life affluence” for our Japanese customers

Through its years of high economic growth in the postwar era, Japan has become a preeminent economic power and attained an income level that ranks among the highest in the world. Many people, however, cannot actually feel this prosperity in their daily lives. One reason is the level of prices, which stand above those in most advanced countries. Compared with the United States, for example, prices in Japan for daily necessities, as well as many types of services, are commonly two or even three times higher. In that sense we can unequivocally say the lives of many Japanese remain diminished.
Such “poverty” is symbolized by Japanese “residences.” Although the external appearances of many homes have become much more attractive recently, people remain surrounded by ill-assorted interiors in their daily lives because home furnishings and interiors suffer from odd assortments of colors, designs, shapes and dimensions. While high prices for individual products have certainly been a factor, the major reason has been that until now there were no stores where individuals and families could easily coordinate and purchase the interior goods including small articles that they’ve wanted.

When I visited chain stores in the United States more than 30 years ago, I was overwhelmingly impressed and marveled at the wide disparities with Japan in terms of consumer values such as low prices, merchandise selection and product quality. Creating a home that is enjoyable, relaxing, harmonious and suited to the residents’ lifestyle is a well-established activity in Europe and America, and the reason is the means exist for easily purchasing, at a reasonable price, home products that can be readily coordinated.
Nitori has declared its dreams of “realization of a society where Japanese can enjoy true life affluence,” and by taking the excitement, stimulation and resolve of that time as its starting point is striving to achieve a “logistics revolution” centered on the creation of a national chain store. Since being founded 40 years ago in a single store covering just 30 tsubo (approx. 99.2 sq.m.), Nitori has grown into a nationwide chain that had developed 194 stores as of May 1, 2009 and is widely recognized as Japan’s first “home and lifestyle proposal firm.” When we advanced into the Tokyo metropolitan area, many customers were surprised and impressed at our low prices and broad product lineup. “The first time we realized we could actually imagine the kind of home we wanted to create was when we visited a Nitori store.” When we hear such customer comments, we truly know our long years of persistence and effort have been worthwhile.
As we look to the future, we will continue to map out a long-term vision that is global in scope and devote all of our capabilities to realizing our dreams, supported by the voices of our customers.

President and Representative Director
Akio Nitori