Global Spotlight

Seoul, the capital city of Korea, is the biggest city in Korea with a population of 9.5 million and is beloved by all Koreans and tourists for its dynamic attractions. Skyscrapers and mountains embedded within each other make spectacular scenery. Above all, Namsan Park is one of the nature-friendly spots in the middle of the city. It is called the heart of Seoul with the Tower Observatory, the tallest of its kind in Seoul with a 360-degree view that offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy beautiful views of the city. Visitors can also easily reach the tower by cable car without hiking to the top of the mountain.
      Last but not the least, shopping should be counted in Seoul too. Just a 10-minute walk from the Namsan Park entrance, there is one of the largest distribution structures in Korea, the Namdaemun Market. The place provides local products, daily living essentials, food products, medical supplies and more to retailers and consumers across the country.

Due to the wholesale nature of the market, shoppers can compare shops for the lowest prices on all sorts of goods. Namdaemun Market is also packed with interesting things to see and eat, making it a popular destination for both locals and international visitors alike. The official name of Namdaemun (South Gate) is Sungnyemun (the Gate of Lofty Decorum). This gate was the main southern entrance to the capital city during the Joseon Dynasty. Constructed in 1398, this is Korean National Treasure No. 1. Its gatehouse is the oldest remaining wooden structure in Seoul.

My company, NYK Bulkship Korea (NBK), is an affiliated company of Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line (Japan) and was established in 2004. I was born and bred in Seoul and after graduating university, I started my first career in HMM (in 1993), then moved on to NBK as a founding member. My office is located very close to Namsan Park and Namdaemun Market, around 10 minutes on foot, and my colleagues (total staff of 21) will walk around the places to enjoy the beautiful scenery seasonally.
      NBK is a shipping company providing marine transportation to carry raw materials like coal and iron ore with very big ships. In particular, the Capesize (150,000~200,000 dwt ton) and Panama-size (74,000~95,000 dwt ton) ships are our main assets. We transport cargo mainly from Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, Canada, USA, and Russia to

Korea. Our customers are purely Korean companies such as Korean power companies and steel mill companies. All NBK staff are very bright and nice and we love to have dinner and drinks together after work, which is very typical Korean social culture. So far business has been expanding and performing smoothly and successfully through all the employees’ efforts and contribution. My primary role is as a managing director of NYK Bulkship Korea, with oversight of the wholesale and marketing and ship management/operation. Personally, I love to travel abroad with my family every year. And I love to play golf and watch movies, especially any of the Sherlock Holmes series, the best of which star Benedict Cumberbatch.

I joined Shanghai Lawson in 1996 and worked in the Administration Department from then until 2002. As one of Shanghai Lawson’s earliest employees, I started learning the basics of store administration and then after studying and mastering in stages the way stores should be administered, I moved up to store manager and then store supervisor. After acquiring operational management skills, in order to raise my skills further I asked to transfer to the Product Department where I was in charge of rice products. Today, I work as Assistant to the President and am also in charge of the Private Brand Product Department.
     I’ve been in the Product Department for some 20 years now, during which time the convenience store business in China has expanded at incredible speed. Foreign capital convenience stores included, the business is gaining momentum in all parts of China. The speed at which Lawson is opening new stores is accelerating, and in September 2021 the number of Lawson stores in China topped 4,000. This makes Lawson the largest owner of Japanese-affiliated convenience stores in mainland China. I feel that the convenience store is now firmly recognized and accepted by Chinese customers today. It has become a vital part of customer lifestyles, and I find working in the convenience store business to be really fulfilling.
     

In today’s situation where competition is escalating year by year, giving expression to how it differs from other convenience stores has become very important to Lawson. I and my staff in the Private Brand (PB) Product Department always attach great importance to the customer’s perspective as we continue to develop “Original Lawson Products.” Take, for example, the “Large Rice Ball” developed in 2005. Until then, the rice balls sold at Lawsons in China were mostly of the same shape and size as those sold in Japan. The Chinese customer, however, takes more into their mouth in one bite and so there was a sense of dissatisfaction with the quantity of rice. When we developed a rice ball for the Chinese market by significantly increasing the amount of rice and of the filling it was an immediate hit and today remains one of our leading products. Another hit product today is the Mochi Moon Cake desert, also developed specifically for the Chinese market and very popular with young Chinese customers who like the chewy and soft texture of this food. Two textures in one!
      In our work we follow the Sangen Shugi (Three Reals Philosophy) and, focusing on the real (actual) location, the real thing (product or service) and realistic action, as a team we always concentrate on the quantity, taste and texture sought by the customer.At present we are rolling out hit products developed by Shanghai Lawson throughout all Lawson stores in China. To be able to contribute to the growth and development of the Lawson franchise in China makes me very happy. Over the past few years, Shanghai Lawson has been accelerating the speed at which it opens stores in towns and cities and so my work now covers not just product development but also the expansion of PB product production facilities. Shanghai Lawson has invested in the building of two new factories, one in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, in 2018 and the other in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, in 2021. This has led to further improvements in quality and in stability of supply. We continue our efforts to ensure that customers are able buy the Lawson products they like whenever, wherever they are.

I live in a loving home. My husband works in the elderly-care service industry. My son moved up to high school in 2021. Work keeps both me and my husband busy and my son goes to a weekday boarding school so the weekends become a very precious time when we can all be together. My husband and my son love playing sports together. Watching them together is for me a truly precious time of happiness. Other times, we will all go to watch a trending movie; or go off on a trip and enjoy beautiful scenery, take in local customs and human touches, tuck into food dishes not on our normal menu. Spending such valuable time with my family powers the driving force behind my work.