Naotaro Hikida

JAPAN

We, KOHNAN SHOJI CO., LTD., (KOHNAN), have a strong footprint in western Japan, especially so in Osaka, where our name, “KOHNAN”, is synonymous with the Home Center business.

 

Established in 1978, KOHNAN is a retailing company that operates through a variety of concepts and stores, such as “Home Center” stores and “KOHNAN PRO” stores. Its “Home Center” stores offer do-it-yourself (DIY) products in the home improvement, housekeeping, auto, pets, leisure goods, and household goods and appliances range.

 

I joined the company in 1979 and was appointed Vice President in 1991. In 2000 we opened “KOHNAN PRO” for professional customers. “KOHNAN PRO” stores provide building materials and tools, paint supplies, working equipment for professionals, construction materials, and electric equipment.

 

In 2003 we launched the online store, “KOHNAN e-shop”.

 

In 2013 I succeeded the founder of KOHNAN, Mr. Kozo Hikida, as President of the company.

 

In 2016 we continued to raise our international profile and expand our business with two significant milestones. The first was launching our online store on the Chinese E-Commerce platform “Tmall Global.” The second was establishing KOHNAN VIETNAM CO., LTD. Through opening our first store in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

 

BEAVER TOZAN CO., LTD., also in the home improvement trade, became a wholly owned subsidiary company of KOHNAN in 2017, and in 2018 we entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with “HOME IMPROVEMENT HIROSE CO., LTD.”

Membership-based wholesale business KEN DEPOT CO., LTD., became a wholly owned subsidiary company of ours in 2019, and in 2020 we took over the Home Center and Home Renovation business of DOIT CO., LTD. and opened our first camping specialty store, called CAMP DEPOT.

 

Below is an overview of our store and company data:

 

TOTAL Number of Stores (as of Aug. 2021)

 

• KOHNAN / 406 stores (Home Center: 302, PRO: 101, CAMP DEPOT: 3)
• BEAVER TOZAN / 10 stores
• KEN DEPOT / 66 stores
• KOHNAN VIETNAM / 8 stores

 

In addition to my role at KOHNAN, I also currently serve as Chairman, BEAVER TOZAN CO., LTD., Chairman, KEN -DEPOT., LTD., and Vice-Chairman of JAPAN DIY-HC ASSOCIATION.

 

Thinking outside the box of the “Home Center”, we are pursuing our further potential as a “general company for house and living.” We will strive for this in our physical stores as well as e-commerce, both domestically and overseas, in order to be appreciated by customers everywhere.