Remaining Essential to Our Customers
From our founding in 1947 to the present day, through the rapid motorization of Japan, AUTOBACS SEVEN has provided customers with car-related merchandise and services via our stores. Today, we have 600 AUTOBACS stores in Japan and 60 stores overseas that sell automotive goods and provide services. Including other segments such as our car trading business AUTOBACS CARS, our store count now reaches approximately 1,000 stores domestically.
Until today, the world has undergone dramatic change. Taking the automotive industry as an example, electric vehicles have become more widespread while autonomous cars are being developed for use on the road. Climate change ranks as one of the most important social issues at present, and society, companies, and individuals are making a wide array of efforts to resolve the situation. In addition, internet-based services have become widespread while customers' preferences, values, and purchasing behavior have diversified. Under these circumstances, we are working to progress beyond being only a wholesaler/retailer of automotive goods and services into “a company that consistently provides the joy of going out.” As we create and provide unprecedented new value, we aim to contribute to the revitalization of the industry.
Meanwhile, though the environment surrounding cars and our customers is changing, our purpose remains unchanged - ensuring the safety of our communities while driving and enriching customers' lives. Because cars are now an essential part of society, we believe that the defining purpose behind the AUTOBACS Group going forward is attaining a sustainable society where people and cars coexist while addressing various social issues, and to do so, we will focus on ensuring the safety of our communities while driving and enriching customers' lives.
In fiscal year 2024, we will mark the 50th anniversary of opening of the first AUTOBACS store. To achieve sustainable and mid to long-term growth in a challenging business environment, and to continue evolving at a pace that exceeds the speed of changes in this environment, we are currently executing our franchise chain reform. By closely integrating the franchise stores and our AUTOBACS franchise chain headquarters into a truly unified force, we will increase our customer touchpoints and develop customer-centric merchandise and service offerings. Our target is to grow both sales and number of customers, and to expand our market share by transforming into a franchise chain that further delights our customers.
True to the ethos of our original founding period, we are committed to furthering our transformation into a company rich in enterprising spirit, challenging ourselves to create new values as we strengthen our core business. As we continue to adapt to changes in the business environment surrounding the automotive society of the future and place importance on the thoughts and emotions of our customers in the center of this society, we thank you for your continued interest and understanding throughout this next phase in our evolution.
Representative Director & Chief Executive Officer
Yugo Horii
