New Social Value Delivered Through Design and Creativity
I would first like to share my deepest gratitude to all of you for your understand and support of Sangetsu Group activities.
The Sangetsu Group history stretches all the way back to 1849. Our company was originally founded near Nagoya Castle as a framing business. Sangetsudo Shoten Co., Ltd. launched in 1953 adapted to the changing times and built an inventory and sales business as a supplier of more than 10,000 different types of wallcoverings, flooring materials, and fabrics. We have valued the Sangetsu brand and expanded business ever since as a fabless company without manufacturing capabilities. As far as I know, Sangetsu was the only company using this revolutionary business model in the industry in Japan at the time. We have always had a passion to better Japanese interiors with a frontier spirit driving us to take on new challenges, which is a founding philosophy that has been passed down through the company to today.
Now more than ever, the Sangetsu Group finds itself facing extremely difficult times. Our challenge is to transform and create new business models. A variety of changes in society are dramatically shifting and diversifying people’s values. To foster sustainable growth as a company in such environment, I believe the value that we create must adapt to these changes. To be more specific, we need to move from providing value in the form of products to providing value in the form of spaces and services. We have positioned this ideal vision for the company as “Space Creation Company” in the Long-term Group Vision [Design 2030] we announced in 2020.
“Space Creation Company” is a company that sells products and space designs for interior and exterior space creation in a comprehensive manner by integrating the entire range of functions required, from design to logistics and installation/construction. Thus far, we have grown primarily in Japanese market as an organization mostly selling interior materials and other products. However, a significant growth of the Japanese construction market is unlikely and our future growth is limited with the conventional business model. Conversely, a business providing value through “space creation” has tremendous potential. For instance, the value provided by the wallcoverings desired by customers alone has its limits, but the value of proposals using wallcoverings together with various relevant services to increase the value of the customers’ businesses has immeasurable value. We will further strengthen and enhance various functions related to space and combine them with creative ideas for complex, broad, and comprehensive designs, which in turn provide value to society. This is the “Space Creation Company” we envision as our ideal form.
As a “Space Creation Company,” we will aim to become a company praised by our stakeholders that contributes to society by designing value through creative imagination. I would like to ask for your continued support in the future.
Shosuke Yasuda
President and CEO
Sangetsu Corporation