Medium-Term Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2028

We aim to be a sustainable organization rooted in the University of Tokyo

~Expanding investment, utilization, and participation to create a strong and flexible University of Tokyo Co-op, both organizationally and in terms of business~

• (1) Strengthen membership and participation in order to expand the base of union members
• (2) In order to achieve a balanced budget in fiscal year 2027, we will pursue efficiency improvements and focus on projects that will increase utilization, in a two-pronged approach

① Expanding the membership base

• ◎We will strengthen our efforts to encourage membership at all levels
• ◎We will strengthen participation in operations, centered around representatives and cooperative committee members in the Komaba and Hongo districts
• We will expand the membership of each affiliated research institute's campus management committee to reflect opinions from a wider range of perspectives
• We will restructure the organizing committee to serve as a hub for union members and the consumer cooperative
• We will hold informal gatherings with international students and create an environment that is easy for them to use

②Improving the usage environment

• ◎We will work to alleviate congestion during lunchtime by improving and expanding payment methods that utilize Co-op Money, and by reviewing suggestions for using the cafeteria
• To become a cooperative that is easy for everyone to use and can be operated stably, we will proceed with developing systems that offer bilingual support and services that can be provided even without visiting the store

③ Public Relations and Branding

• ◎We will strengthen our public relations efforts regarding enrollment and use of our services for graduate students, international students, and newly appointed faculty and staff who are transferring from other universities, so that no one misses out due to lack of information
• We will respond to changes in the life stages of University of Tokyo members, such as campus transfers, further education, and employment, and provide the information they need at those times
• We will develop menus and products in collaboration with universities. In particular, we will strengthen our collaboration in preparation for the University of Tokyo's 150th anniversary in 2027

④ Creating new value

• ◎The purchasing department will reduce food waste by improving ordering accuracy through the use of an AI-powered predictive ordering system. The cafeteria will reduce food waste by considering a system for sharing ingredients and continuing to offer "waste-reducing" bento boxes
• We will collaborate with GXSN students to advance initiatives to reduce our environmental impact
• We will position the board of directors' projects as a platform in which members can participate according to their interests, and by connecting with other cooperatives, we will be able to undertake a variety of initiatives

⑤ Initiatives to support daily life and learning

• ◎We aim to ensure a "healthy and safe lifestyle," which is the foundation of university life, and to promote participation in mutual aid and insurance programs as preparation for "what if" situations
• ◎We will work to improve the dining hall environment and revise meal plans to suit different lifestyles, creating an environment and system where people can eat properly, enjoyably, and without any fuss
• We will strengthen our system by developing new properties and training staff so that we can provide housing where people can live with peace of mind
• ◎We will strengthen our learning and study proposals tailored to the University of Tokyo's curriculum, including computer-based learning, study abroad and cross-cultural experiences, and suggestions for educational courses
• In particular, we will propose and implement initiatives to ensure that books fulfill their role as an "agara of knowledge."

⑥ Initiatives to support education and research

• ◎We will strengthen our laboratory visit activities and non-in-store order channels, and act as a readily accessible advisor to faculty, staff, and graduate students to support them in obtaining the most suitable supplies smoothly
• By linking the university's new financial accounting system with the cooperative's system, we will improve the efficiency of public fund utilization, contributing to reducing the administrative burden on researchers and reforming university administration
• We will provide proposals to address changes in the on-campus computer lab environment and support education

⑦ Employee training and work style reform

• With a view to generational change, we will systematically promote human resource development in highly specialized fields such as travel, books, and information equipment, as well as the development of management personnel such as store managers and executive directors
• ◎We will promote the delegation of tasks and authority to part-time staff, and advance the leveling of roles and responsibilities of regular staff so that they can focus on expanding usage and solving problems
• ◎We will work to reduce the workload and improve efficiency by streamlining operations and standardizing processes
• ◎We will work to reduce overtime hours, improve the rate of paid leave utilization, prevent harassment, and promote the creation of a workplace where people can continue working even while raising children or caring for elderly family members
• We are committed to creating a workplace where employees can work with pride by strengthening workplace communication and fostering a culture of mutual learning and collaboration

⑧ Stabilization of management

• ◎We will focus on improving total business surplus through measures such as reviewing product and pricing policies, operational procedures, and developing value-added businesses
• We will work to streamline our staffing structure by downsizing unprofitable businesses and stores, reviewing operating hours, and reducing costs through a thorough review, while also concentrating resources on key businesses

supply amount

• Growth due to laboratory visits: +4% in FY2015, +7% in FY2016
• Growth due to the introduction of meal plans; average customer spending +20 yen in FY2015 and +20 yen in FY2016; number of customers 8,000 (based on 177 normal operating days)
• Share of PCs used for learning increased: 30% in FY2014, 35% in FY2015, and 40% in FY2016
• 70% of students included a PC course (750 points in FY2015, +224 points; 857 points in FY2016, +107 points)
• Growth in the Hongo area due to the introduction of freshly baked bread: 400 units in FY2014, 1,000 units in FY2015, 1,200 units in FY2016 / Unit price 210 yen, 175 business days
• Collection of usage fees from non-members at purchasing stores

Supply surplus

• Increasing surplus by bringing outsourced party production in-house

Personnel costs

• Personnel costs for regular employees will be reduced by a decrease in the number of employees through delegation of authority. Overtime hours will be reduced by 50% compared to FY2013
• Regular employee personnel costs will be increased while taking into account the minimum wage increase, and will also include a reduction of 2,500 hours of part-time work through efficiency improvements

property cost

• We plan to invest 35 million yen by fiscal year 2016 to address aging facilities, replace equipment for making freshly baked bread, and improve working conditions in the cafeteria