LOFT is a leading Japanese household goods specialty store operating 117 branches nationwide today (as of March 31, 2019). Our origins date back to 1987 with the opening of the LOFT Annex of Seibu Shibuya. At the time, household goods specialty store was a new, unique concept in Japan. From morning to night, we rushed to and fro studying conventional supplies stores and exploring presentation techniques that surpassed the typical shelves lined with children's school bags and stationery. Our conclusion was to depart from merchandising that promoted function and utility, and to display an edited assortment of items that set the trends of the times. We set our sights on a store where customers came not only to purchase predetermined items but also to window shop, to enjoy browsing the products, and to naturally prolong their stay. This led to the concept "Showcase of Time." We aspired to present snippets of the needs, trends, and feel of the times, to propose lifestyles through our assortment of products and services, and to be a place where customers could come without a fixed purpose but with the hope of encountering something special. The LOFT that emerged as a result was exciting and welcomed by a broad range of customers. Shibuya LOFT was followed by distinctive large stores in Umeda and Ikebukuro, which cemented our brand image and led to the establishment in 1996 of THE LOFT CO., LTD.
Into the future, we at LOFT hope to keep alive our founding spirit and continue to be a company that proposes new lifestyles through our edited assortment of household goods.
LOFT WAY and LOFT NEXT
Having assessed our operational accomplishments and issues to date, at present we are engaging in the strategy programs LOFT WAY and LOFT NEXT. LOFT WAY is about thoroughly practicing the LOFT work process. Create product and service scenarios toward enhancing the joys and resolving the problems in our customers' daily lives. Propose new lifestyles through our edited assortment and display of products. Expand the spectrum of items and experiences that customers can encounter only at LOFT. Share information via the LOFT app and social media. And ensure that customers who visit the physical store are offered pleasant service. All employees should commit to this flow.
LOFT NEXT represents new initiatives for adapting to the changing times and transitioning into the future. Examples include business-to-business services using the LOFT brand, and freestanding stores and shop-in-shops in collaboration with New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In the field of e-commerce, we are enhancing the online store's proposal of uniquely edited assortment of products, and the LOFT app's offering of unique services and role as the core medium of communication with our customers. In business category development, we are expanding into the new area of small specialty store (e.g., Cosme LOFT) and branching out into markets outside Japan. Within the next 5-10 years, we hope to open stores in East Asia and build a foundation for overseas business. We have five franchise stores in Bangkok, Thailand, at present, and have established a preparation office toward the next step of opening directly managed stores in China.
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Company nameTHE LOFT CO.,LTD.
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Head office
- 3-5F / 6-7F, Ichigaya Bldg., 4-2-6 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073
- <Divisions>
Products Department (Health Products Division, Stationery Division, Variety Division, Household Goods Division, Sales Planning Division, Supply Chain Management Division), Development Department (Overseas Business Division, Branding Division, MoMA Division, Store Development Division), Administration Department (General Affairs Division, HR Division, Finance and Accounting Division, Administrative and Clerical Support Division, Logistics Division, Risk Management Division), Store Management Department (Large Stores Management Division, Standard Stores Management Division, MD Control Division, Operations Support Division, IT System Division), PR Division, Corporate Planning Division, Audit Division
+81-3-5210-6210
Opening hours 9:00-18:00
Closing days:Product Department, Development Department (MoMA Division), Store Management Department (Large Stores Management Division, Standard Stores Management Division, MD Control Division, Operations Support Division) (Wednesday & Sunday), Other Departments (Saturday & Sunday)
<Access>
3 min. walk from JR Ichigaya Station
1 min. walk from subway Ichigaya Station Exit A4
MAP -
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EstablishedAugust 8, 1996
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Headquarters location18-2 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
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Capital750 million yen
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Settlement dateEnd of February
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Net sales107.1 billion yen in fiscal year ended February 2024
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Employees5,321 (as of February 2024)
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StoresDomestic)Directly managed stores 138, franchise stores 26
Overseas)Directly managed stores 5, franchise stores 2
(as of May 2024) -
Officers<Representative Director and President>
Koki Ando
<Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer>
Keiji Hashimoto
<Director and Managing Executive Officer>
Kiichiro Ozone
Takashi Mizuno
<Director and Executive Officer>
Akiko Ogawa
Keiichiro Shono
<Director>
Naoki Misaka (non-executive)
Takahiro Umetsu (non-executive)
Yasunori Ito (non-executive)
<Auditor>
Katsushi Yonezu
Kozo Nasu (non-executive)
<Managing Executive Officer>
Kenji Kakei
Atsushi Matsumura
<Executive Officer>
Rie Matsushita
Noriko Murao
Naoto Yamamoto
Izumi Moriyama
Shuji Yamamoto -
Major shareholdersSeven & i Holdings Co., Ltd.
Credit Saison Co., Ltd. -
Business descriptionHousehold goods specialty retail
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