Hideo Fujii, President and CEO of Demae-can Co., Ltd.

The overwhelming No. 1 food delivery service!

■ Profile

In 2006, he joined Rakuten, Inc. After helping to launch the Sapporo branch, he was in charge of business strategy and overseas strategy. In 2015, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Rakuten Mart, Inc., a Rakuten subsidiary. He worked on redesigning business plans and reforming logistics and merchandising, putting sales on a growth track. In 2016, he joined LINE Corporation as head of the commerce business. In 2017, he was appointed Executive Officer at the company, and was involved in setting up the organization as head of the commerce business and O2O business. In June 2020, he was appointed Representative Director and President of Demae-can Co., Ltd.

Food delivery services have grown significantly due to the demand for staying at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, Demae-can is one of Japan's largest delivery sites. It allows users to easily search, order, and have delivery from over 80000 stores nationwide. President Fujii says, "To succeed in Japan, it's all about localizing the service." We asked him about the journey he has taken so far.

　My parents ran a sewing factory and told me, "Being president is tough, so become a civil servant." As a student, I loved children, so my goal was to get a teaching license and become a teacher. I started learning about society as a whole when I was working part-time at university. Through part-time jobs at a video rental store and as a private tutor, I learned about society and earning money as a team. It was during this time that I realized the joy of working and the "system of society" where you are paid for your work.
　After graduating from university, I got a job in retail rather than becoming a civil servant with a stable salary.

■Changing jobs to the IT industry and headhunting

　I really enjoyed working in retail, and my boss liked me, so I was assigned to the popular planning department. However, I wanted to earn more on my own, so I changed jobs to become a programmer. Engineers were in high demand and the salary was high, so I started working as a self-employed person. Then, my father suddenly passed away. I couldn't let my parents' company go under without a president, so I was involved in management for two and a half years.
　After that, when the company got on track, I moved to Rakuten to learn IT. At Rakuten, I was put in charge of new business ventures, food, and the online supermarket business. I was able to participate in management as the Executive Vice President of Rakuten Mart, which allowed me to gain a lot of experience. Later, when the online supermarket business got on track, I was headhunted by LINE, and joined LINE at the age of 39.
　At LINE, I was tasked with launching new businesses, and over the course of three years, I launched five businesses. One of these was a service called LINE Delima, which would later be integrated with Demae-can. At the time, food delivery was popular in China, and it was predicted that it would become popular in Japan as well. Demae-can was tasked with this role within the LINE Group, and I, who was in charge of the commerce business at LINE, was appointed president.
　Previously, my goal was to quit my job at 45, but I thought it would be rare to have the opportunity to gain experience as president of a listed company, so I made the decision at the age of 43.

■ Become the No. 1 food delivery service in Japan

　In our food delivery service business, almost all of our competitors are overseas companies. Localization is key to beating large overseas companies. Japanese people have a very strong sense of "food," so rather than simply importing an overseas business model, it is easier for us, as a Japanese company, to localize our service. Until now, all deliveries were made by our own part-time staff, but since last year we have been fully accepting self-employed delivery staff, providing thorough training through interviews and tests on delivery traffic rules, etc., with the aim of guaranteeing and improving quality and differentiating ourselves from other companies.
　When it comes to human resources, it's good to hire people who have a strong will. It's fine if they say, "I want to have a stable life in the future," or "I want to be a happy housewife." If they have a clear will, I think the company can help them grow. I also want to hire students who are ambitious.
We prefer people who walk the talk and can say things like, "I want to be the top salesman in the industry."
　Our competitors are global companies with annual sales dozens of times greater than ours. I want to work with people who are willing to participate in such a dynamic environment and grow while having fun.
　Our company's goal is to first become the overwhelming No. 1 in Japan. We are currently working with other delivery companies to consider issues across the industry and are working to standardize training, recruitment, and other aspects of the industry. As the delivery industry expands, our company will inevitably grow as well. Our vision is to make delivery a part of everyday life. I would be happy if delivery became a natural option for Japanese people when choosing breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a midnight snack. If delivery becomes a part of everyday life, I believe we can grow to the same scale as companies active in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

■Message

　I think it's a good idea to think about your future, even if it's just a hypothesis. In order to reach your vision, prepare a blueprint early on that takes into account the timeline. I think it's difficult to achieve your goals unless you work backwards.
　Try to clarify your time and goals by working backwards from your vision of the future, such as "What will I do by age x?" or "So what do I need to do by age x?" You can adjust your goals and timeline later. Clarify your goals and intentions, think about what you need to do from now on, and announce your goals to those around you. If you announce them publicly, those around you will support you.

Student newspaper October 2021 issue Nihon University 3rd year Seinan Ohashi