Society

Initiatives for employees ―
Create a comfortable and rewarding
working environment and conditions

We are striving to improve working conditions and the working environment. This will allow each employee to achieve self-fulfillment through work in their long lives. At the same time, it will bring stability to their daily lives and lead to fulfilling social lives.

1 Develop human resources

The Shimamura Group believes that the growth of each and every employee is indispensable for the prosperity of a company. In order to grow, employees must acquire knowledge and skills through workplace experience and on-the-job training. Furthermore, through off-the-job training, they are required to lay the foundation for personal growth by learning the necessary basic knowledge, ways of thinking, and ethics required of our employees. Through human resource development, the Shimamura Group supports the self-realization of each employee through their work.

Education system
New employee education (full-time employees) / New employee education (part-time employees)
Education by position             / Education by department
Career training for female employees      / Correspondence education
Certification support system          / Seminars in the U.S.

See Human resource development

M-employee system
More than 80% of Shimamura Group employees are M-employees (regular part-time employees). We established the M-employee system for part-time employees working in stores. This unique system is designed to assist housewives who possess the ability to work but are unable to have a full-time career; specifically, it incorporates a time-shift system to balance efficient working conditions and family life.
Store manager promotion system
The Shimamura Group cultivates talented personnel from among M-positioned employees (as specified by the Shimamura Group) as store managers. Currently, approximately 70% of our store managers have come from this system. It is also possible to attempt promotion to a block manager and other positions with higher authority than a store manager. This is a system that balances ease-of-work and growth of the employees themselves. Motivation to work rises by having a target of promotion to a store manager. This also leads to the growth of the company in addition to improving the abilities of each employee.We are proactively promoting M-positioned employees to store managers.
Accordingly, we have also developed a support structure for employees aiming to become a store manager. Examples of this include the briefing sessions to share the experiences of role model employees and an educational curriculum to train candidates to become a store manager to reduce anxiety about promotion to a store manager. Also, starting from FY2025, we began holding online "career design discussions" for part-time employees, and by conducting multifaceted educational activities in conjunction with posters and the in-house newsletter, we are encouraging employees to take on the challenge of being promoted to store manager.
Shimamura Women's empowerment Curriculum 

The Shimamura Group has been implementing Shimamura Women's Empowerment Curriculum since FY2023 with the aim of improving the abilities of female managers as part of our efforts to create an environment where women can play an active role. We are improving the abilities of female managers by raising their motivation and allowing them to acquire the skills they need to aim for high-level positions through mindset programs and skill improvement programs.

2 Educational systems

For a company to grow, the growth of each and every employee is essential. At Shimamura Group, we clearly define the capabilities we expect from our employees, and by creating and managing a training system to develop those capabilities, we encourage the self-directed growth of our employees.

・Shimamura capability-building model
The Shimamura Group has defined the capabilities (knowledge, skills, thinking, competencies) necessary for employees to achieve results as the "Shimamura capability-building model." We develop the capabilities of our employees by creating an environment in which they can learn these capabilities in a systematic manner.

Training system
Our training system is built on four cornerstones: "level-specific training," "department-specific training," "general training," and "self-development support."

  • ①Education by rank
    We provide training for full-time employees according to their rank (graduates, supervisors, senior managers, and department heads) to improve their knowledge and skills.
  • ②Education by department
    In each department's training, employees learn the basic concepts of work, how to proceed with work, and the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their duties.
  • ③Common
    ・Anti-harassment training
     We provide harassment training to prevent the occurrence of discrimination and harassment.
    ・Information security education
     We provide information security education and training.
    ・ESG education
     To promote Shimamura's ESG responsiveness, we run ESG training and have all employees work to address ESG issues.
  • ④Self-development support
    ・Correspondence education
     Distance training is offered to all employees (excluding part-time employees) to enable them to acquire a wide range of knowledge.
    ・Qualification support system
     We have established a qualification support system for full-time employees to encourage employees to take the initiative in learning.

3 Medium-term human resource strategies

We have formulated our Medium-term Human Resource Strategy 2027 in line with our Medium-term Management Plan to become a good company where each and every one of our employees can work in comfort and with a sense of satisfaction.

Basic policy
A "good company" with comfortable and rewarding work conditions

The Shimamura Group strives to allow each employee to achieve self-realization through their work over the course of their long lives. At the same time, our management mission for our employees is to develop working conditions and a workplace environment where our employees can enjoy a stable daily life and lead a fulfilling social life. We are aiming for the sustainable growth of the Shimamura Group by encouraging our employees to achieve self-growth through human capital investment and to demonstrate achievements such as an improvement in productivity and added value.

Priority issues.
  1. 1) Building an organization which supports the achievement of our long-term management plan 
    1. ①Restructuring of the organization in line with the expansion of our business scale
    2. ②Securing of human resources and development of their abilities to handle advanced management issues
    3. ③Securing of the appropriate personnel necessary for efficient business operations and appropriate personnel reshuffling
  2. 2) Human resource strategies to maximize each employee's performance
    1. ①Realization of strategic human resource allocation (utilization of the talent management system)
    2. ② Update of the desired picture of human resources and expansion of employee training to acquire such personnel
  3. 3) Creation of an environment where each employee can work with a sense of fulfillment
    1. ①Restructuring of the salary structure and fair personnel evaluation
    2. ②Continuation of initiatives which will lead to a reduction in our employee turnover rate
    3. ③Research and implementation of engagement surveys
  4. 4) Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
    1. ①Ratio of female managers 23.0%(FY2/2027)
      • ・ Stores (AR): Expansion and training of store managers, B. mgr and department manager candidates, and diversification of recruitment methods (junior college and vocational school graduates)
      • ・Head office (GR): Expansion of measures to retain personnel and Shimamura Women's Empowerment Curriculum
    2. ②Maintain 5.0% employment rate of persons with disabilities (February 2024-February 2027)
    3. ③Expansion of work-life balance support system (childcare and nursing care)

4  Diversity

Women's Promotion Act Action plan

The "Women's Promotion Act" (Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace) was put into effect on April 1, 2016. The Act seeks to realize a society in which women can fully demonstrate their individuality and abilities. This will enable Japanese society to achieve further growth and respond to globalization in the midst of our country's rapid population decline.
The Shimamura Group has formulated action plans so that female managers can fulfill even more active roles.

"General Employer Action Plan" based on the Act on Promotion of
Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace: PDF
Gender Wage Gap
Gender Wage Gap
(Ratio of Women's Wages to Men's Wages)
Regular Employees 80.8%  
Non-Regular Employees 76.8%  
All Employees 43.2%  

※Reporting Period: February 2026 (March 2025 - February 2026)

※Supplement

  • ・In our company, there is no gender difference in the treatment of salaries (bonuses) and other wages for both regular and non-regular employees.
  • ・The percentage of women among our regular employees is 64.4%.
    Furthermore, the percentage of employees who transitioned from non-regular employees to regular employees through our unique talent promotion system accounts for 50.9% of regular employees. (As of February 20, 2026)
  • ・The percentage of women among our non-regular employees is 98.7%.
    Additionally, the overall percentage of non-regular employees in our company is 86.0%. (As of February 20, 2026)
  • ・Contract employees, who were included in regular employees until FY2023, are included in non-regular employees beginning in FY2024.
Retirement and reemployment
If we evaluate and approve the appropriateness of the motivation and ability of employees who have reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, and if the employee so wishes, the employee will be reemployed.
Re-employment will commence the day after the retirement date and will be for a fixed term of one year.
Thereafter, the employee may be repeatedly reemployed up to his or her 70th birthday.
Employment of people with disabilities
The Shimamura Group continues to employ people with disabilities as part of its efforts to realize a diverse society.
As of June 2025, 973 employees with disabilities are working for the company, representing an employment rate of 5.36%, which exceeds the legally required rate of 2.5%.
The Company actively engages in the employment of people with disabilities and has established systems to support recruitment and workplace arrangements for employees with disabilities.
Since fiscal 2021, block managers in charge of hiring employees with disabilities have been encouraged to obtain the qualification of "Occupational Life Consultant for Persons with Disabilities," and as of February 2026,451 employees have obtained this qualification.
In addition, we are advancing the development of cooperative and collaborative systems with regional disability support centers, special needs schools, and other organizations.

Employment of people with disabilities at Shimamura

Examples of awards from prefectures

store commendator Year Awarded Contents
Shimamura
Takayanagi Store
Ishikawa Special
Support Education Association
FY2025 Certificate of Appreciation for Work
Mid-career hiring

The Shimamura Group is working to increase the ratio of mid-career hires for full-time employees.

Fiscal Year 2023 2024 2025
Ratio of mid-career hires for full-time employees (%) 52 51 56

Shimamura has an internal system for promoting part-time employees to full-time employees, and has created an environment in which M employees (part-time employees) who have the ability and motivation can actively aim for higher positions.
In addition, we began mid-career hiring at our stores from FY2024.
Our mid-career hiring covers two types of hiring: our own in-house system for promoting part-time employees to full-time employees, and mid-career hiring at our stores.

Fiscal Year 2023 2024 2025
Number of new graduates hired Men 31 39 36
Women 44 56 44
Total 75 95 80
Number of regular part-time employees appointed to a full-time employee Men 0 1 0
Women 82 88 94
Total 82 89 94
Number of mid-career hires at stores (persons) Men - 0 2
Women - 8 5
Total - 8 7

5 Work-life balance

We have acquired the platinum certification, the highest category, in "the system to certify companies that ensure a diverse way of working" (a system in which the prefecture certifies companies, etc. that ensure a diverse way of working to balance work and family affairs) in Saitama Prefecture.

Work-life balance support for those raising children or nursing family members
The Shimamura Group has systems in place to support employees who are balancing work with childcare or nursing care.
Examples of systems related to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare
Name Content Statutory standards Voluntary standards
Maternity leave Pre- and post-natal leave system Can be taken from 6 weeks before to 8 weeks after giving birth Can be taken as defined by law
Childcare leave at time of birth A leave system aimed at encouraging men to participate in childcare after their child's birth Spouses can take up to four weeks (28 days) of leave within eight weeks of their child's birth Can be taken as defined by law
Spousal parental leave A leave system aimed at increasing men's participation in childcare after their child's birth No legal requirement Spouses can take ten days of leave within one year of their child's birth (paid)
Long-term childcare leave A leave system available to both men and women for raising children In principle, leave can be taken up to the day before the child's first birthday (can be extended up to the age of two depending on the circumstances) When the child has reached 18 months of age, leave can be extended until the latter of the following April 15th or the day before the child's second birthday
Shortened working hours for childcare A system for shortened working hours to balance work and childcare Employees who are raising children up to the age of three have a six-hour working day in principle Employees raising children can shorten their working hours by one or two hours until the start of elementary school
Short-term childcare leave Can be taken up until the child completes the third grade of elementary school, for reasons such as nursing a sick child, accompanying them to vaccinations or health checkups, when classes are cancelled due to infectious diseases, and events such as entrance and graduation ceremonies Up to five days of leave can be taken by an employee each year for children who have not completed third grade of elementary school, and can be taken in hourly increments ・For children who have not completed third grade of elementary school, leave can be taken to attend events the child participates in, nursing them when sick, accompanying them to various appointments, transporting them, and watching over them
・An employee can take up to 20 days of leave each year (unpaid), and can be taken in hourly increments
Work-childcare balance leave Leave can be taken for any reason related to child raising for children from age 3 until the start of elementary school Up to ten days of leave can be taken by an employee each year for children from age 3 until the start of elementary school, and can be taken in hourly increments
Children's use of the break room The break room at stores can be used from after (or during) after-school childcare until the employee finishes work No legal requirement Can be used by elementary school students from 1st to 6th grade

Examples of systems related to nursing care for relatives

Name Content Statutory standards Voluntary standards
Long-term nursing care leave A leave system to provide long-term nursing care to a family member who requires care Up to 93 days can be taken per eligible family member Can be taken as defined by law
Short-term nursing care leave A leave system to provide short-term nursing care to a family member who requires care Up to 40 hours per year per eligible family member can be taken in hourly increments Can be taken as defined by law
Shortened working hours for nursing care A system for shortened working hours to provide nursing care to a family member who requires care The system can be used for up to three years per eligible family member, and allows working time to be shortened by one hour per day Can be taken as defined by law
Re-employment system (full-time employees only)
Full-time employees who have been in management positions for more than 3 years and who will retire due to marriage, childbirth, childcare, nursing care, or transfer of their spouse can apply in advance at the time of retirement for use of the re-employment system for a period of 10 years after their retirement.

Next-generation child-raising plan
The Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children was put into effect on April 1, 2005. The Act enacted promotion to create an optimal social environment for raising children who will serve as leaders in the next generation. The Act also requires corporations to establish a working system for a balance between career and child-raising.
In accordance with this Act, the Shimamura Group has formulated the "next-generation child-raising plan" and is promoting continuous efforts.

Action plan based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children

"General Employer Action Plan" based on the Act on Advancement of
Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children: PDF

6 Health and Productivity Management

President's message on health management

The Shimamura Group's management mission is to create a "good company" for all stakeholders.
To achieve this, we believe that the most important thing is that each employee is healthy in both mind and body.
Our employees are irreplaceable assets that create new value for the company. That is why we actively invest in creating an environment where employees can work in a fulfilling manner both physically and mentally.
Improving the workplace environment where employees can work enthusiastically and demonstrate their abilities invigorates the entire organization, leading to sustainable growth for the company. Beyond that, we believe that it will create a "good company" for all stakeholders and contribute to the development of society.
As the head of management, I will take the lead in maintaining and promoting health and will continue to promote health management.


Shimamura health and productivity management declaration

The management mission of the Shimamura Group is to "build a 'good company'." To make the Company a "good company" for employees, it is essential not only to provide a comfortable and rewarding work environment but also to ensure that employees are physically and mentally healthy.
By committing to employee health and establishing an environment where employees can work energetically, we promote organizational vitality, which in turn leads to the sustainable maintenance of appropriate corporate performance.
Based on this philosophy, Shimamura will work as a united Group to advance health and productivity management.


Health and productivity management promotion framework (diagram)

Health Committee

Safety and Health CommitteeThe Shimamura Group takes action to ensure that employees can work in good health and with peace of mind in all workplaces.
Every month, the Health Committee and Safety and Health Committee hold meetings to investigate and deliberate on health management and the prevention of occupational accidents. The committees are mainly composed of health supervisors and industrial physicians.


Occupational accident prevention

Once a month, the executive officers in charge report on cases of occupational accidents at a Management Meeting. All executive officers share information on preventing occupational accidents and discuss countermeasures. Furthermore, all store managers share information on work-related accident cases at monthly meetings of store managers. Store managers use videos to explain example cases of occupational accidents to store employees, and all employees strive to prevent the occurrence of occupational accidents.


Management of long working hours

Stress checksIn order to prevent illnesses and mental disorders caused by overwork and stress, the Shimamura Group has established a stress check system and has industrial physicians oversee the management of long working hours.

7 Benefits

Home base system (full-time employees only)
Personnel transfers are based on the aptitude of each employee, but the city, town, or village where the employee's (or family member's) residence is located will be considered the employee's "home base" (home address), and the employee's home base will be taken into consideration for personnel transfers.
Support systems for employees who work away from home (full-time employees only)
Employees working away from their home base may qualify for the following assistance:
①Rent subsidy (with an upper limit)
②Payment of transportation expenses for returning to the home base (with an upper limit)
③Payment of moving costs associated with the transfer
Systems for asset-building saving and employee shareholding association (full-time employees and regular employees (part-timers) only)
Home base system (full-time employees only)
A system aimed at helping employees build up assets over the long term, in which the company provides subsidies.
Employee shopping benefit system (full-time employees, regular employees (part-timers) and part-time employees)
A system aimed at helping employees build up assets over the long term, in which the company provides subsidies.
Employee stock ownership plan (only for full-time and part-time employees (including temporary employees) with at least six months of service)
A system that allows employees to regularly purchase Shimamura shares from 1,000 yen per share, and the company provides subsidies.
Autumn party (full-time employees and regular employees (part-timers) only)
The Shimamura Group organizes Autumn parties to thank employees for their hard work and to promote mutual communication.
Benefit Station, a paid membership service
Shimamura Group is a member of "Benefit Station," a membership-based employee benefit service operated by Benefit One, which provides employees and their family members up to the second degree of kinship with discount services and point rewards.
Long-service award (full-time and part-time employees only)
Awards are given to employees who have been with the company for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 years (full years).

8 Business efficiency

Improvement proposal system

The improvement proposal system is an indispensable mechanism for ensuring that work-related manuals remain relevant in all eras. The constant refinement of manuals is extremely important in order to achieve business optimization. In the Shimamura Group, about 10,000 improvement proposals are submitted by all employees every year. We examine and test each proposal, and continuously update the results into new manuals every month. Operations are constantly improved to match current conditions, and low-cost operation is supported.

Improving business efficiency by introducing RPA (business automation software)
The Accounting Department has introduced RPA. It is optimizing operations by automating calculations, checks and other work.
The Merchandise Department also introduced it in FY2021 and is optimizing operations by automating analysis work.