Masanori Takeda, Executive Vice President and Director of Nitori Holdings Co., Ltd.

Providing the richness of housing to people around the world.

Director and Executive Vice President, Nitori Holdings Co., Ltd.
Director of Nitori Co., Ltd.
Masanori Takeda(Masanori Takeda)

■ Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1966. Joined Nitori Co., Ltd. in 2004. After serving as General Manager of the Merchandise Department, he was appointed Representative Director and President of Nitori Co., Ltd. in 2020. By 2024, he will focus on overseeing the company's overseas business, aiming to expedite decision-making and improve execution speed in the overseas business.

Nitori offers total home coordination solutions. As the often-heard phrase "More than you'd expect," suggests, what is the secret behind their ability to offer high-quality products at affordable prices? We spoke to Nitori Holdings Vice President Takeda about the secrets behind product development and the company's continued growth.

I always wanted to be a furniture designer. However, I knew that English would be necessary for both my career as a designer and my international business, so I studied it. I also traveled to England and France, where various decorative styles existed, to look at furniture and other designs. One thing I'm glad I did as a student was work part-time. I worked in a variety of positions, and I learned that there were many more jobs out there than I had imagined. I met many different people, learned customer service, and developed interpersonal skills, which I believe have led me to where I am today. I started my working life at a lifestyle company. I began by improving the warehouse and eventually became the manager of product development. Later, when I was thinking about going out on my own, a friend told me about a company called Nitori, so I went to see the store. I remember being very surprised when I saw the products on display; they were being sold at what I considered cost price. To be honest, however, the designs weren't very good. I thought that if Nitori's products could be made more stylish while maintaining low prices, it could become a great business, so I decided to join the company.

■The secret to "Wow, it's better than you'd expect."

Nitori handles everything from manufacturing to logistics, warehouse operations, and sales in-house. Currently, we have two factories in Vietnam, including the world's largest, which produces approximately 2.5 million sets of curtains annually. At this factory, we select the highest-quality, cheapest yarn available at the time and perform all knitting and dyeing processes in-house. While these processes are typically outsourced, in-house production allows us to produce curtains of higher quality and at lower prices than competitors. This has enabled us to differentiate ourselves from competitors. Even so, it only took three years for our curtain factory to become profitable. However, over these three years, even if we were in the red, we continued to believe that we would achieve significant profits in the future. We never give up, even in the red, because Nitori has a vision of expanding to 3,000 stores by 2032, and we know that mass production at that time will increase our profit margins. Many of Nitori's products are made in-house. Therefore, if our employees are determined to deliver these products to customers, the sales floor will be 100% in line with their wishes. This allows us to recommend the best products to our customers. For this reason, we can calculate future investments and sales, and see a future where we are sure to be successful 10 years from now.

■ The secret to growth is not to give up

The kind of employees we want to work with are those who enjoy the 4Cs of Change, Challenge, Competition, and Communication. We especially welcome people who are curious about a wide range of things. Employees who have worked in Nitori stores may suddenly be assigned to the new graduate recruitment department or advertising department after a few years. Even in such situations, Nitori employees are all curious and highly adaptable, so they can enjoy any job they do. I always tell my employees, "As long as you don't give up, you can't fail." I personally believe that if you don't give up, you can definitely achieve it. I think it's because of this mindset that our employees enjoy their work even when they change departments.

■ Becoming the global "Nitori"

We are currently accelerating our expansion overseas, aiming to have more than 2,000 stores overseas alone in 10 years. The closer the manufacturing and sales locations, the lower the logistics costs and the more affordable our products become. Currently, we have our own factories in Vietnam and Thailand, so we are expanding primarily into Asia, but we hope to expand into the United States and Europe in the future. We are also focusing on developing home appliances. Since buying furniture and home appliances is a very close life event, we want to offer a situation where customers can purchase both at the same time. Rather than focusing on the quantity of our product lineup like a mass electronics retailer, we aim to narrow down and sell recommended products at the best price. Furthermore, we plan to expand our business into areas such as apparel and home improvement centers to coordinate your entire lifestyle.

■Message to university students

I hope you will travel to many different places and see many things while you are a student. Housing in Japan is by no means luxurious. When you see homes in the West and realize how much nicer they are than in Japan, things will look completely different. Choose a place with a clear vision for the future where you can grow together with the company, and go about achieving what you want to do.

Student Newspaper April 1, 2024 Issue by Mai Wakao, First Year Student at International Christian University