- Business
- ASKUL Corporation (2678.T) is a Japan-based e-commerce and logistics provider specializing in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) platforms, primarily serving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individual consumers through next-day delivery services. Established in November 1963 and headquartered at Toyosu Cubic Garden, 3-2-3 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan, the company operates the ASKUL platform for B2B customers, offering over 14 million products including office automation (OA) and personal computer (PC) supplies, stationery, office furniture, living supplies, maintenance repair and operations (MRO) goods, medical products, pharmaceuticals, equipment, groceries, alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, and specialized items for manufacturing, construction, healthcare, nursing care, and drugstores; SOLOEL ARENA for mid-tier and larger companies; and the LOHACO platform for B2C daily necessities such as beverages, foods, detergents, kitchen supplies, pet products, interior goods, and original LOHACO branded items like the LOHACO Water series. Additional services encompass Papuri for printed materials including business cards, envelopes, stamps, and novelty goods; Office Coordinate Service for free office interior layouts; Bizraku, a SaaS platform launched in October 2022 supporting SME digital transformation (DX) with communication tools and seminars; and advertising in the B2B segment. The company conducts operations across Japan via an advanced logistics network with key facilities including ASKUL Tokyo DC, ASKUL Kanto DC, AVC Kansai, and others, supplemented by subsidiaries such as AlphaPurchase Co., Ltd. for MRO and facility management; SOLOEL Corporation for large-company procurement; BUSINESSMART CORPORATION for agent operations; Feed Corporation for dental e-commerce; Charm Co., Ltd. for pet and gardening products; ASKUL LOGIST Corporation and SEISHO TRANSPORT Corporation for logistics and small-cargo transport; and TSUMAGOI MEISUI CORPORATION for natural mineral water production. Recent developments include record-high net sales of ¥471.7 billion and operating profit of ¥17.0 billion for the fiscal year ended May 20, 2024 (FY5/2024), driven by B2B growth, LOHACO profitability, consolidation of Feed Corporation, expansion of AVC Kansai with Goods-to-Person (GTP) automation adding 190,000 stock items, launch of ASKUL Kanto DC installation in FY5/2025 for east-west mother centers, new ASKUL website operations with customer migration progressing to 43% completion, synergies with LY Corporation (formerly Z Holdings) including technology support and sales channel expansion post LOHACO Yahoo! Store integration in October 2023, initiation of ASKUL EC Marketing Lab in April 2024 opening B2B big data, scaling of advertising and Bizraku businesses, product assortment growth to 14.08 million items with 258,000 in-stock and 11,010 original products at 38.1% sales composition, merchandising DX enhancements, ESG initiatives like Matakul recycled products and Tsumagoi Green Project tree planting in 2024, revised business segment disclosures from FY5/2025 emphasizing ASKUL and LOHACO sub-segments, FY5/2025 forecasts targeting ¥500 billion net sales and ¥18 billion operating profit, a new medium-term plan for infrastructure transformation with up to ¥100 billion growth investments including M&A, and shareholder returns via ¥38 annual dividend and 45% total return ratio.