Lawson, Inc. Human Resources Headquarters, Human Resources Planning Department, New Graduate Recruitment Officer, Murata Kurumi

Lawson, Inc. Human Resources Headquarters, Human Resources Planning Department, New Graduate Recruitment　Murata Kurumi(Murata Kurumi)

■ Profile
He joined Lawson, Inc. as a new graduate in 2014. After joining the company, he worked as a store employee and store manager in his hometown of Kyushu, before being promoted to a supervisor providing management support to franchise stores. He has been hiring new graduates since 2018.

Based on the corporate philosophy of "We will make the community where we all live happy," the company is working to transform itself into a new convenience store that supports the daily lives of its customers.

■Please tell us about the characteristics of the industry.

The convenience store industry is a huge market worth 10 trillion yen. With over 55000 stores, it is said to be saturated. However, the industry is currently expanding, and at the same time, it is in a phase where it is putting even more effort into strengthening each individual store. Directly managed stores account for only about 2% of the total, with the remaining 98% being run by franchise owners.
In this environment, our company is focusing on "health." Japan is the first country in the world to become a super-aging society, with many patients suffering from lifestyle-related diseases. We want to create a world where customers can enjoy safe, secure, and healthy eating habits, precisely because we are a "Lawson" that is close to our customers.
Furthermore, we have adopted a multi-format strategy to meet various needs, such as opening Care Lawson, where you can get advice on nursing care, and Hospital Lawson, an in-hospital store that supports all people involved with the hospital.

■What kind of students are you looking for?

We place an emphasis on diversity in our recruitment activities, and we want to work with people from a variety of backgrounds. For this reason, we hire regardless of academic background, and we also make an effort to recruit international students. Our gender ratio is 50/50. We don't require special qualifications or knowledge, but we are looking for people who can quickly respond to changes in society and who can think and act independently. We would like to create the next Lawson together with people who share the Lawson Group philosophy of "We will make the community where we all live happy."

■Please give us a message for university students

When you're job hunting, you might narrow your perspective by thinking, "I don't want to do the work I want to do." However, in reality, it's rare that you'll be entrusted with only the work you want to do from the start. In order for those around you to think, "I want to entrust you with the work you want to do," it's important to think about what you can do in the position you're given and put it into action. I hope you'll proactively grab every opportunity and encounter, make lots of mistakes, and learn.

Student Newspaper April 1, 2022 Issue, Nihon University, 4nd Year, Koji Ishida