Gaia Series 26: WORKMAN, Major Workwear Company's New Challenge

The WORKMAN brand in Japan is known for its highly functional and low-cost workwear. In September last year, it opened its 1000th store in Kishiwada City, Osaka. From a shop selling only work clothes, it has since expanded and now has speciality stores such as WORKMAN Plus, focusing on outdoor goods for general customers, and WORKMAN Girl, targeted at female customers. WORKMAN Plus was launched in 2018 and the latter in 2020. WORKMAN’s Senior Managing Director is Tetsuo Tsuchiya. 

The company has launched a new business initiative, called WORKMAN Colours, with the aim of becoming a store that is chosen for its style and design as a fashion brand. The products are more trendy and incorporate the fun of designing and coordinating looks. WORKMAN engaged Risa Hamaya, an "outside director”. Her nickname is Sally and she is an official ambassador for WORKMAN. She is actually a YouTuber and popular blogger who shares information about camping. For example, she shows how products made for workers can be used at campsites. The title “ambassador” is given to influencers who collaborate with WORKMAN and the company currently has about 50 such influencers in domains such as camping, motorcycles and fishing. 

WORKMAN was initially focused on creating products for outdoor workers, with an emphasis on quality and functionality from the customer's perspective. However, when the company expanded beyond clothes for workers to make outdoor goods, it started getting advice from Sally. Since then, WORKMAN has developed many different camping goods. Now there are more than 31 products incorporating elements of Sally's advice.

In August last year, Sally visited a WORKMAN Girl branch in Ginza, which was going to be renovated to be transformed into the first WORKMAN Colours shop. It marked Sally's inaugural role as an outside director, overseeing the incorporation of the customer's perspective into the shop's design. Ms Asami Oishi, a stylist from WORKMAN’s Marketing Strategy Group, was put in charge of coordinating the looks. Her job was to create looks which would appeal to young people. With its brand Colours, WORKMAN aims to attract and appeal to the youth market and customers looking for high-functioning low-cost products. On September 1, the first WORKMAN Colours shop opened. 

Franchises play a pivotal role in WORKMAN's expansion strategy, contributing nearly 96 per cent of the brand's total sales. With WORKMAN franchises, its headquarters in Ueno, Tokyo, takes care of acquiring the land, building the shop and stocking it with products. The store manager signs on to run the shop. About 2.24 million yen in starter funding is required. Each franchise stocks about 2,000 products. The average sales figure for a franchisee is 170 million yen.

In July 2023, Hiroaki Hakozaki and his wife Rina applied to take over the WORKMAN Plus Kawasaki Kajigaya shop, which was set to open in October. Their final interview at the WORKMAN headquarters in Ueno took place in August. One of their interviewers was WORKMAN’s Head of the Franchise Promotion Department, Hiroshi Hatta. The couple eventually clinched the job to run the Kawasaki Kajigaya store as franchisees. They underwent training before joining the store.

WORKMAN has also collaborated with the Japanese Red Cross to develop products with enhanced functionality, particularly for disaster relief. The Comfortable Work Research Centre, led by Daisuke Kashiwada, produced a prototype rain gear with a unique hood design and light that follows the wearer's movements. He visited the Red Cross Hospital in Ishinomaki City to test the rain gear, with the assistance of Shinsaku Ueda, the Vice President of Ishinomaki Hospital.

WORKMAN now plans to venture overseas, with Okinawa serving as a stepping stone. Sally, in her capacity as an ambassador, visited Okinawa, paving the way for the opening of the first WORKMAN Girl shop in February. The ambitious plan includes entering the Taiwan market in 2027.

Tips:
1)    Collaborations with influencers have helped WORKMAN widen its reach and diversify its products
2)    Consider a customer-centric approach when designing or renovating stores