Pentax 2006 Annual Report Download - page 24

As of March 31, 2006
Shanghai
1 store
Kanto district
59 stores
Hokkaido-
Tohoku district
9 stores
Koshinetsu-
Hokuriku district
6 stores
Kyushu district
17 stores
Tokai-
Chubu district
14 stores
Kansai-
Chugoku-Shikoku
district
36 stores
China
Japan
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Eye Care
Health Care Division
Contact Lenses and Eye City
The Eye City chain of directly owned and managed retail stores specializing in the sale of contact lenses boasts the largest sales
volume of any such enterprise in the Japanese domestic market. As of March 2006, 141 Eye City stores were operating across
the country. Eye City not only supplies extremely safe, effective, and high-quality contact lenses from manufacturers around the
globe, it also advises individual customers on the specific products that are most appropriate for their eyes and vision
characteristics. Eye City consultants use their precise knowledge of the benefits of all the latest products to offer a uniquely
professional sales consultation service. The chain is also known for providing thoroughly satisfying after-sales service, helping
customers to derive the maximum benefit from their contact lenses with optimum comfort and reliability over time.
Contact lenses are specially controlled medical devices worn on the prescription of an ophthalmologist, and their use requires
careful management. Recently, however, in a number of cases people failed to take their contacts seriously enough, and the incidence of
eye-related problems caused by mistakes in usage or care has been increasing. Eye City protects the health of its customers’
irreplaceable eyes by giving the greatest possible priority to safety. Professional consultants with a precise understanding of contact
lenses and a thorough knowledge of the latest product information—which changes on virtually a daily basis—carefully explain lens
characteristics and make suggestions to customers on correct use. The total number of Eye City customers now stands at 4.5 million:
they value not only the broad lineup of high-quality products but also the quality of the customer-focused service they receive.
The development of new retail locations continues to proceed on the basis of convenience to customers. New stores are
developed primarily in the main hub stations of train lines and in suburban shopping malls. A vigorous scrap-and-build program for the
closure and relocation of underperforming locations has also been maintained. Hoya continues to devote its energies to maintaining
close relationships with ophthalmologists and to making sure retail facilities have an extremely
clean feel. Apart from aiming to create the right “hardware”—the stores themselves—the
Company is working to ensure excellent “software,” which is how Eye City employees relate
to customers, by providing training in the provision of high-quality customer service. During
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, new training centers were established in Tokyo and
Osaka, and the division is working hard to assist the development of human resources.
In December 2005, the first Eye City store outside Japan was established in Shanghai,
China. Here, as well, Hoya puts top priority on providing reassuring and reliable service
by developing premium-quality sales stores.
The first Eye City store outside Japan (Shanghai, China)