Our Businesses and Services
B-to-B Business
E-commerce Business
Our Mission: to fulfill our social responsibility by supplying products to all workplaces as a lifeline for working people.
We operate two websites: ASKUL, a website for small and medium-sized enterprises, and SOLOEL ARENA, a website for mid-tier and larger companies. Through these websites, customers can shop from a selection of more than 12 million products in one place, ranging from office supplies, living supplies, and furniture to specialized goods for the manufacturing and construction sectors, general medical products—such as for healthcare, nursing care, and drugstores—medical materials including pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment.
When ASKUL began offering services, with the exception of a few large companies, it was commonplace for office workers to walk to their nearest store to buy office supplies. In response, in 1993 ASKUL began offering total support services with the aim of delivering office supplies to all customers by the next business day.
Advancing forward for our customers based on DNA passed along since our founding and promoting daily advances, we keep expanding the number of products and services. In the B-to-B business, the number of registered customer IDs has surpassed 4.8 million (as of the end of May 2022), as businesses of all sizes and from all sectors leverage our services.
ASKUL Model
ASKUL’s services have continuously evolved. First, the Company changed the distribution structure, which previously entailed many layers involving manufacturers, primary wholesalers, secondary wholesalers, and retailers, in order for products made by manufacturers to reach customers. More specifically, the Company consolidated functions in purchasing, inventory management, and sales and eliminated redundant operations while cutting time and costs. The ASKUL Model was created as a new distribution system that emphasizes “social optimization,” or in other words, smoothing out the flow of information along with the aforementioned changes, and “functionalism,” where the most qualified players handle individual functions and roles. Instead of setting up sales locations nationwide, retail stores, such as stationery stores across the country, participate as ASKUL Agents and provide services alongside ASKUL while developing and supporting customers and managing credits and debits.
Other Services
Papuri
Papuri is a specialized service where customers are able to make printed materials such as business cards, envelopes, stamps and personalized novelty goods. The name of Papuri means “Customers can utilize Papuri easily, we print and deliver the orders quickly.”
Office Coordinate Service
Office Coordinate Service is where we offer customers the layouts of the office interior for FREE. When customers start their new businesses, move to different places or renew the office, our professional advisors are able to support coordinating the offices.
Bizraku
We launched Bizraku in October 2022 as a digital solution service which aims to solve problems that small
and medium-sized enterprises struggle with: work style reform, shortage of labor and law revision. The
concept of the service is “to make jobs easier by solving problems.” Bizraku offers total support on an
E-commerce website where customers can get advice by professional staffs and also sells SaaS,
communication tools and seminars for beginners.
Although in the case when customers are not familiar with IT, or they do not have any IT specialist, it is always easy for customers to choose from the 2 menu: “Search by problems” or “Search by categories.” Selected products are lined up by its categories. Additionally, we are able to offer agency service staffs who take care of IT related problems for customers and customers can order from small amounts. There are many helpful tips and FREE counsel service as well. See more on
https://www.biz-raku.jp
B-to-B Business in Our Group Companies
ASKUL advances the B-to-B business while coordinating with AlphaPurchase Co., Ltd., which sells maintenance, repair, and operation supplies and engages in the facility management business; SOLOEL Corporation, which provides purchase solutions for large companies; BUSINESSMART CORPORATION, which carries out the ASKUL agent business; and Feed Corporation, which provides an E-commerce website of professional items for dentists.
AlphaPurchase Co., Ltd.
The company sells maintenance, repair, and operation supplies and engages in the facility management business.
SOLOEL Corporation
The company provides purchase solutions for large companies.
BUSINESSMART CORPORATION
The company carries out the ASKUL agent business.
Feed Corporation
The company provides an e-commerce website of professional items for dentists.
B-to-C Business
E-commerce Business
Our Mission: to make our lives easier.
In April 2012, ASKUL announced a business and capital tie-up with Yahoo Japan Corporation (now LY Corporation). As equal partners, both companies began to collaborate on combining ASKUL’s strengths in product lineups, sales prices, logistics systems, and customer support with Yahoo Japan’s strengths in attracting customers and payments. We started our business based on the concept of “making our lives easier and “LOHACO is derived from the phrase “lots of happy communities.”
LOHACO by ASKUL (the LOHACO Main Store) and the LOHACO Yahoo! Store are the two channels via which customers can shop for approximately 145,000 products (as of July 2022) that range from beverages, foods, detergents, kitchen supplies, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other daily necessities to pet products, interior goods, and LOHACO original products. The total number of LOHACO customers is roughly 9.3 million (as of the end of August 2022).
The Company aims to offer unique e-commerce sites for daily necessities through a combination of its capabilities in the B-to-B business—such as product development and procurement capabilities, logistics and delivery networks, and customer responsiveness—and the strengths of Yahoo Japan Corporation—namely, customer appeal and payment services.
B-to-C Business in Our Group Companies
Charm Co., Ltd., which operates an e-commerce site for pet and gardening products, is popular among users of e-commerce malls, contributing to the growth of the B-to-C business.
charm Co., Ltd.
The company operates an e-commerce site for pet and gardening products.
Logistics Business
Using the logistics know-how accumulated in its own e-commerce business, ASKUL provides logistics and small-cargo transportation services to companies, in addition to product storage, warehouse management, and delivery services for manufacturers and direct-order companies, through ASKUL LOGIST Corporation and SEISHO TRANSPORT Corporation.
ASKUL LOGIST Corporation
The companies operate the warehouse management and small-cargo transportation services.
SEISHO TRANSPORT Corporation.
Small-cargo transportation services.
Other Business
TSUMAGOI MEISUI CORPORATION sources high-quality natural spring water from melted snow at the base of Mt. Azumaya, one of Japan’s 100 famous mountains. The company produces and sells bottled natural mineral water using an integrated quality management system.
TSUMAGOI MEISUI CORPORATION
The company produces and sells bottled natural mineral water using an integrated quality management system.