Promotion of Diversity

The PPIH Group's collection of corporate philosophies, "The Source", emphasizes the importance of respecting and appreciating individual diversity. One of the strengths of our group, which has continued to be chosen by customers with diverse values who visit our stores, is that we have created a workplace where employees are diverse and respect one another.
We are committed to creating an environment where all employees, regardless of gender, nationality, disability, or other background or values, can work comfortably and contribute to the company's success.

Given that more than half of the 600 million customers served by the PPIH Group every year are women, we consider it important to incorporate ideas from the female perspective into our store operations and management. Moreover, in order to ultimately become an employee-friendly company where all employees can demonstrate their strengths, we believe that the first step is to be a company where women can play an active role.
For this reason, we have established targets for fostering female managers at our stores, which are the closest points of contact with customers, as well as goals for retention rates (turnover rates) to assess the development status of a comfortable working environment for women. We have adopted a simultaneous multi-pronged approach to changing the mindset of female employees themselves at each stage of recruitment, retention, and promotion, promoting understanding among their supervisors and others around them, and creating a comfortable working environment.

We view each stage of the promotion of women's activities as connected and will implement this plan as a cyclical plan to achieve accelerated and sustainable corporate growth by approaching the issues at each stage simultaneously and in multiple ways.
We believe that the understanding and cooperation of all layers and staff involved in each stage, from recruitment to promotion to management positions and employee growth, is essential, and we are planning a variety of measures that will enable the entire group to tackle this issue.

As part of our efforts to promote women's empowerment, our group is implementing initiatives to support the development of female managers and their career advancement. As a result of these ongoing efforts, the percentage of female managers has been increasing year by year, creating an environment where everyone can build their careers with confidence. Going forward, we will continue to build an organization where women can play diverse roles.

As a concrete measure to increase the ratio of female Store Managers, we launched the "RISE! 100" training program in May of 2021 to educate staff on the necessary attitude, knowledge and skills for Store Managers. The number of female Store Managers has been steadily increasing, with several of them coming from the participants of each session. The training program is supervised by the director in charge of diversity management, and some of the lectures are given by the director.
In addition to web-based training (24 sessions in total) to acquire the skills, know-how, and compliance knowledge necessary to become a Store Manager, the program also includes social events with current female Store Managers and 1-on-1 meetings for career counseling, etc. The training program, which lasts about five monthes, helps female employees reduce their anxiety regarding the Store Manager position, build an internal network, and build a career image. In addition to regular follow-up with those who have completed the training, we are also working to further enhance the program and continue to provide training on an ongoing basis.

We hold annual seminars led by external lecturers for female employees with the aim of strengthening the skills and mindset necessary for their work. We offer a program where participants can freely choose from nine practical themes, such as logical thinking and leadership.

We hold seminars led by external lecturers for female employees in their 20s who have been with the company for less than three years, with the aim of improving retention rates and career development. Participants reflect on their experiences to date, consider how to approach their future work and careers, and promote 　their own growth through interaction with senior employees and their peers.

With the aim of promoting career advancement for female employees, we regularly hold discussions between female employees who are active within the company and executives in charge of diversity management, and publish the results in our in-house newsletter.

Our group has established "making others the subject of the sentence" as a code of conduct, and we place great importance on understanding others in our efforts to promote diversity.
We continuously conduct "Unconscious Bias Training" sessions for all managers, and for managers with female subordinates, we distribute reports that allow them to track the number of female employees within their department, the ratio of female managers, and trends in employee turnover. Additionally, we have established a portal site that provides information and videos on health issues specific to women, as well as guidelines on how to support employees who are struggling, all aimed at fostering an organizational culture that actively supports the career development of subordinates and colleagues.

As part of our initiatives to promote understanding of diversity, we offer a web-based certification program called the "Diversity Management (DM) Certification," which allows participants to learn through e-learning while taking the exam.
In the fiscal year ending June 2025, the program was offered to managers, focusing on internal and external systems related to life events such as pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and caregiving, and how these can be balanced with work.

Our group strives to create a workplace environment where every female employee can demonstrate her abilities.
For example, we have introduced a "regional employee system" that allows employees to choose their work style according to their lifestyle and life events, and we distribute a "Maternity and Childcare Leave Support Book" that summarizes systems for taking maternity and childcare leave and returning to work, as part of our efforts to support life events and physical and mental health.

The PPIH Group has introduced a welfare program that subsidizes the cost of low-dosage birth control pills for female employees and their life partners. According to a survey of female employees and contract workers at our domestic group companies, approximately one-quarter reported having taken time off work due to menstrual pain, with 30% of those respondents indicating they took time off once every two to three months or more.
Low-dosage birth control pills are not only effective for contraception but also for alleviating menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). By subsidizing the cost of these pills, we aim to support the physical and mental well-being of female employees, enabling them to perform at their best within the workplace. Additionally, by extending the subsidy to cover the costs for employees' life partners, we seek to foster greater understanding among male employees regarding women's health issues.

By conducting annual surveys on career aspirations, concerns at work, and systems and training, we are able to identify issues faced by employees and develop and implement improvement measures led by the DM Committee.

Survey Period: September 5～September 30, 2024

We compile information on health issues unique to women that cause physical and mental discomfort, as well as ways to deal with them and available support systems. We also publish videos of "Women's Health Seminars" conducted by external board members in order to help women consider ways to work in a way that allows them to thrive.

Our group promotes meritocracy, implementing a personnel evaluation system that assigns roles, responsibilities, and compensation based on job position, ability, and performance, regardless of gender or other attributes. Under this system, there are no gender-based differences in employment status or compensation.
However, factors such as the fact that over 70% of non-regular employees, who tend to have lower wages, are women, and the low proportion of women in senior management positions among full-time employees, have contributed to gender wage gaps.
We will continue to enhance an environment that supports flexible working arrangements tailored to life stages, such as part-time work systems and region-limited employee systems. Additionally, we will monitor gender ratios in promotions and job positions while advancing initiatives to support women's careers, development, and advancement into managerial roles, with the aim of eliminating gender pay gaps.

Survey results have shown that sexual minorities make up approximately 10% of the population in Japan. In response, the Group is working to create a workplace environment that ensures psychological safety, enabling sexual minorities to work confidently and thrive in their roles.

We provide training (group and web-based) for employees to deepen their understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, and a total of 42,000 employees have participated in the training by the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. After attending the training, employees who request it are given an original sticker as proof of being an ally (a person who supports LGBTQ+), and can also put the ally symbol on their business cards, thereby showing their support of LGBTQ+ and providing psychological reassurance to those who identify as such. We strive to ensure that each person working in the same workplace recognizes each other's diverse personalities and can maximize their abilities while engaging in friendly competition.

LGBTQ+ group training sessions

Business card and original sticker indicating that you are an "Ally" (somebody who understands LGBTQ+)

In the company newsletter distributed through the company's portal site, our Founding Chairman and President have both shared messages emphasizing the importance of understanding and supporting LGBTQ+ individuals. This aligns with our commitment to fostering diversity. By doing so, we are reinforcing our dedication to creating a respectful and supportive environment where all employees can work confidently and contribute to the company's shared goals

On the same portal site, a dedicated page has been created under the supervision of the certified NPO "ReBit" to deepen understanding of LGBTQ+ topics. The page introduces basic knowledge about LGBTQ+, training videos, and key points that employees should keep in mind in their daily work and communication. Additionally, it outlines our welfare benefits system, which supports a work environment where employees can work with peace of mind. Through these efforts, we are committed to creating a workplace where all employees respect each other's diversity and can thrive as their authentic selves.

The PPIH Group provides a variety of benefits to support its employees, including a wedding allowance, special leave, and allowances for relocations and company-provided housing. Additionally, the company has implemented inclusive internal systems and welfare programs that ensure same-sex partners have access to the same benefits as legal spouses.

*Please note that some systems and content may differ depending on the company.

PPIH issues its own original certificate of acceptance of Life Partnership Registrations.

Even in the case of same-sex partnerships, PPIH recognizes the partnership and provides a monetary gift.

Employees are entitled to take leave to support their life partner during childbirth.

Employees can reduce their working hours for child care or caregiving for their life partner's parents, with the same access to benefits as a legal spouse.

Even in the case of same-sex partnerships, PPIH acknowledges the partnership and presents a commemorative gift on the birthday of your life partner.

If employees feel uncomfortable using their legal name at work, they may use a business name of their choice , etc.

We have a system in place that allows employees to consult with external professional counselors about various issues, not just work-related issues.
*Confidentiality is guaranteed.

Since 2017, we have been supporting LGBTQ+ events held across Japan, including Tokyo Rainbow Pride, which aim to raise awareness of sexual minorities and celebrate diversity.

The Group is actively promoting the recruitment of non-Japanese employees to accelerate business growth by leveraging the knowledge and experience of diverse talent resources. ​
This is in response to the increasing number of inbound customers visiting our stores and our aim to further expand our overseas operations. As of FY2024, the Group employs 420 non-Japanese full-time employees and 2,834 non-Japanese mate employees (part-time or temporary employees).​​

Employees with disabilities are active in various departments and divisions within the PPIH Group, including in our stores and offices.​
The employment rate of people with disabilities in the PPIH Group (domestically) for the period ending June 2024 is 3.4% (the legal rate in Japan is 2.5%).​

We hold in-house training sessions to deepen mutual understanding, so that employees can recognize diversity and help each other to deliver "anticipation and excitement" to even more customers. In addition, when people with disabilities join the company, we distribute a support guide to stores and departments that summarizes basic knowledge and other information so that everyone is aware of the considerations that need to be made and can provide the necessary support.​
Furthermore, as part of our disability support within the workplace, some stores also offer work experience for people from special needs schools and other organizations that support people with disabilities.​

The PPIH Group has a total of 742 stores in 8 countries/regions. (FY2024) We have 17,168​ employees working in our stores and offices.

*Excludes temporary employees

Under the corporate philosophy collection 'The Source (Genryu)', we have defined our primary action as supporting the daily lives of our customers and providing them with the pleasure of shopping, and we place importance on customer affinity to achieve this. We are familiar with the needs and characteristics of customers, which vary from place to place and region to region, and we are recruiting local employees so that we can offer products and services tailored to these needs and characteristics. As a result, we contribute to local communities through employment.