Kiyoo Matsumoto, President and CEO of MatsuKiyo Cocokara & Company, Ltd.

Delivering beauty and health based on the strength to continue without wavering

President and CEO of MatsuKiyo Cocokara & Company, Ltd.　Kiyoo Matsumoto(Matsumoto Kiyoo)

■ Profile
He joined Matsumotokiyoshi in June 1995. After serving as Director and General Manager of Merchandise in June 2005, he became President and Representative Director of Matsumotokiyoshi in April 2011. In April 2013, he became Vice President and Representative Director of Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings, in charge of Corporate Planning and Sales Planning and Merchandise Management. In April 2014, he became President and Representative Director and Chairman of Matsumotokiyoshi. In October 2021, he became President and Representative Director of Matsumotokiyoshi Cocokara & Company (current position) and President and Representative Director of the Matsumotokiyoshi Group (current position).

MatsuKiyo Cocokara & Company is responsible for the strategy formulation, execution support, and business management of the well-known drugstore group "MatsuKiyo." What is the secret to the success of MatsuKiyo, an overwhelmingly well-known store that everyone has visited at least once? We spoke with President and CEO Kiyoo Matsumoto about his own experiences and the company's future prospects.

I didn't really like studying, so I thought that rather than spending time studying, I would rather work and get paid, so I started working early.
I started out working as an auto mechanic, then at a sports club, before joining Matsumoto Kiyoshi in 1995. At the time, the company had a policy of only hiring new graduates, and I started working at a hardware store at the time, with the promise that I would be made full-time after working as a part-timer for a year. When I asked about my benefits not changing even after working there for more than a year, I was told that they assumed I was already a full-time employee, and it actually took nearly two years for me to become a full-time employee (laughs).
After becoming an employee, I was in charge of pharmaceuticals and daily necessities at the drugstore, and I experienced the roles of assistant manager and store manager. During that time, the woman in charge of cosmetics went on maternity leave, and I even attended a makeup seminar. As I gained experience in various jobs and rose in rank, my responsibilities increased, and I often found myself caught between the field and the head office. However, my experience on the field made me realize that there were certain things I shouldn't do if I became a manager, and certain areas that needed to be changed. It also helped me organize my thoughts on what I can do now and what I will be able to do in the future.
It is because of these experiences that I have tried to change what needed to be changed, and that has led to the company I have today. When I joined MatsuKiyo, the hourly wage was lower than other companies, and it was difficult for women to work because we had a small number of people stocking heavy products. It was also an environment where people were tired even on their days off and it was difficult to find time for hobbies, but we have made various reforms since then, and now we have a system in place that allows employees to choose three days off per week.

■Strength comes from the power to continue

MatsuKiyo's strengths are beauty and health. It is important that we continue to do this without wavering. As average life expectancy increases, our group's role is to contribute to extending healthy lifespans, allowing people to live beautiful and healthy lives every day. To achieve this, we must become a profitable company that is beneficial to all stakeholders. If we focus only on sales volume, we will not be able to make a profit and the balance will be lost. When I became president, I was conscious of improving that balance.
For example, when you try to increase sales, you want to try new things. MatsuKiyo started out as just a pharmacy, but then opened supermarkets, convenience stores, bookstores, beauty salons, and home improvement stores. However, we are now concentrating our management resources on drugstores that mainly sell cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and prescriptions, and are promoting a variety of strategies.
This is a reflection of the teachings of my grandfather, Kiyoshi Matsumoto, who said, "Strength comes from continuing to do the same thing for customers," and "It's important to stick to your own beliefs and not be swayed by the companies around you, even if they're doing something different."

■ Collect information, analyze it, and use it to provide products

The retail industry is becoming homogenous, and the same products can be bought anywhere. That is why offering products and services that can only be purchased through our group will lead to differentiation.
Since each store, which is closest to consumers, must be strong, we are promoting bottom-up management rather than top-down. We commercialize information received from the field and items that stores believe are necessary as private brand products, and we also engage in product development in which customers are involved. We have launched a groundbreaking product called "matsukiyo Easy-to-Wrap Finger Bandages," which made the dream of a 9-year-old girl come true.
Furthermore, our strength lies in digital advertising. By combining our data with that of Google, we can determine where to place ads and avoid showing ads where they are ineffective. We can also collect purchasing data on whether customers purchased products as a result of the ads, which makes analysis easier than running TV commercials and makes it easier to understand their effectiveness.
From now on, I would like to offer the joy of shopping and the joy of searching. I hope that this will bring joy to people as they become more beautiful and healthy. I also hope to open stores overseas and find interesting things to bring back from overseas. It will probably be some time before the idea that "you can find a MatsuKiyo anywhere in Asia" becomes a reality, but I have a dream.

＊message＊

It's important to have dreams and goals. As with business, life is like a captain setting out on the ocean with no signposts, heading somewhere. You might go straight ahead, or you might just go around in circles. The important thing is to decide your own destination.
Another thing is to not let your emotions get the better of you when you get angry. The person who was scolded will remember, but the person who got angry won't. If you're going to stay together in a bad atmosphere, it's probably best not to get angry. You need the patience to endure and the ability to forgive others. Make an effort to build harmonious relationships, and try not to get angry or be scolded.

Student Newspaper, October 1, 2023 Issue, Keio University, 10nd Year, Yusaka Matsuzaka