VISION 2050 | Sustainability | MARUI GROUP CO., LTD.

In February 2019, we announced MARUI GROUP's 2050 Vision, a roadmap for guiding our efforts to help build an inclusive society that offers happiness to all.

MARUI GROUP's 2050 Vision

Harnessing the power of business to build a world
that transcends dichotomies

Critical Importance of the Concept of Inclusion

MARUI GROUP envisions a world in which we have transcended all dichotomies to build a flourishing and inclusive society that offers happiness to all. A society cannot be said to be happy if happiness is only provided to certain groups. Only when happiness is available to all can society truly flourish.

Since its founding in 1931, MARUI GROUP has continued to evolve its unique business model merging retailing and finance to reflect the changes in the times and in customers, all the while being guided by the co-creation philosophy that "creditability should be built together with customers." Today, the concept of inclusion—integrating and including individuals that had previously been excluded—infuses our quest to help shape the future. We believe that expanding the intersection between the interests of all people through inclusion is a shortcut to the realization of a flourishing and inclusive society that offers happiness to all.

Inclusion is both a philosophy and a strategy, a key principle for transcending dichotomies to resolve social issues while increasing corporate value.

Various Dichotomies Creating An Afflicted World

Dichotomies divide a single concept into two sides and presume inconsistency or opposition between these sides. People have a natural tendency to categorize people and assume differences based on dichotomies such as men and women and children and adults. These dichotomies can sometimes create discrimination and disparities in treatment when used to divide or foster opposition between groups, as seen in the dichotomies between the able-bodied and people with disabilities and between the rich and the poor. Our world is afflicted by countless such dichotomies, and we can no longer turn a blind eye to this issue. If we continue to ignore the global-scale problems we face, content to live focused on the happiness and interests that lie before us, we will create a new dichotomy, between current generations and future generations, and invite an undesirable future.

MARUI GROUP's Vision for The World of 2050

Understanding the current circumstances faced by the world, MARUI GROUP spent a year delving into the future that seems certain, the future that seems uncertain, and the future that, although seeming uncertain, is desirable to be made certain. We thereby are able to formulate a vision for the world of the future based on three predictions: the emergence of a focus on individuality that still values connections, the appearance of a massive global market catering to low- and middle-income individuals, and an increasing emphasis on businesses that coexist with the global environment. The vision for the world of 2050 arising from these three predictions is a world of interconnectivity between countries, races, and nature.

01

A World Focused on Individuality
That Still Values Connections
The promotion of diversity will likely bring about a world in which all people, including senior citizens, LGBTQ individuals, expatriates, and people with disabilities, are able to exercise their individuality as a matter of course and in which the concept of a minority is non-existent. At the same time, technological progress will expand our virtual space, making it possible for people to enjoy and find value in connections that transcend the boundaries of country and race, all while maintaining their own sense of individuality.

02

A World Featuring a Massive Global Market
Catering to Low- and Middle-Income Individuals
Rising income in developing countries and growing income disparity in developed countries can be expected to give rise to a society in which the traditional opposition between developing countries and developed countries is replaced by a new sense of opposition between low- and middle-income individuals and the wealthy. This opposition will generate various business opportunities associated with the shared social needs and challenges of low- and middle-income individuals worldwide and with education, healthcare, finance, and consumer services, giving rise to a massive global market.

03

A World Emphasizing Businesses
That Coexist with the Global Environment
The global environment will no doubt become unable to support the mass production and consumption trends seen thus far, heralding a world in which only those businesses that coexist with the global environment are able to survive. In this world, renewable energy that capitalizes on the power of nature and circular economies that turn wasted resources into profit will become commonplace fixtures. Furthermore, the people of the future will come to emphasize coexistence with the global environment in their purchasing behaviors and consumption activities, leading to the mainstream emergence of responsible consumers around the world.