Ms. Song Tian Jiao, Store Manager of MUJI Berlin Ku'damm
On June 18, flagship store MUJI Berlin Ku'dam flagship store opened. The store manager, Ms. Song Tian Jiao, is a global hire recruited by Ryohin Keikaku from outside Japan. We talked to Ms. Song Tian Jiao about how she make use of her past experience in Japanese stores and headquarters in her current work, as well as her motivation and future goals as a flagship store manager outside Japan.
■About MUJI Berlin Ku'dam
The Ku’dam area in Berlin is one of the most famous shopping areas in Germany that attracts not only local residents but also many tourists. Marmorhaus, the building in which MUJI opens its store, has a history of more than 100 years. As a landmark in the Ku’dam area, it has long been popular with the local community as a movie theater. MUJI Berlin Ku'dam fully utilizes the interior of the building by keeping its old features, and applies recycled lumber such as door and window grills as interior decorations to provide customers a taste of the history and culture of the region.
The sales floors of MUJI Berlin Ku’damm spread over four floors from the basement floor to the second floor. By providing a wide range of products and services, this store aims to become a store where visitors can experience the philosophy of MUJI.
■Towards opening a flagship store
I joined Ryohin Keikaku as a global hire in 2012. After being the store manager of a store in Japan, I worked in the Overseas Business Division of the headquarters before becoming the store manager of MUI Berlin Ku'dam. Ever since I joint the company, I wanted to work overseas and make contribution to the global business of the company. I am very happy to be a store manager of an overseas flagship store.
However, although overseas operations look the same as those in Japan, there are many cases in which the common sense and the correct answers in Japan are not applicable. There are, of course, differences between languages and laws, but since regional Head Offices are usually small in scale, many work operations are carried out on site. The store manager is not only responsible for normal store operations, but is also involved in work such as examining logistics conditions for delivery, checking the progress of construction, participating in meetings with business partners and seeking local business partners for collaboration. I really feel that my past experience as a store manager in Japan and my experience in the headquarters helped me a lot. It is very important to understand the overall operation of the store while knowing how to proceed in cooperation with the Head Office.
In addition, there are many cases that require flexible responses and judgements, such as delays in on-site construction or difficulties in recruiting staff due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. With the cooperation and support from MEH and MUJI Germany, we were able to overcome the difficulties together with the staff and embraced a successful opening.
■Communication with local staff
The staff of MUJI Berlin Ku'dam come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Accordingly, I always remind myself to respect the culture and characteristics of each one of them when conducting employee training. Several staff members were transferred from other MUJI stores, but most of the staff have joined the company without knowing anything about MUJI. In order to introduce MUJI to customers with confidence, it is necessary for our staff to first understand the philosophy of MUJI. As a result, I put much emphasis on communicating with each staff, sharing the concept of MUJI as well as the goal and vision of our store. When I see people of various nationalities and backgrounds forming a team, empathizing with the philosophy of MUJI and working hard toward the same goal, I feel that my job as a store manager is the most rewarding.
■ Future targets
My goal as the store manager is to train the next store manager. In addition to introducing and instilling successful examples from Japan, I would like to explore the problems and issues confronting the stores, consider and propose solutions together with local staff, and develop local talents who can become the next store manager.
The goal for our store is to become a locally rooted platform by deepening our connections with the local community and raising our market awareness. At the grand opening, we collaborates with over 20 German companies to sell their locally produced pastries, sweets, drinks and homeware, as well as the handcraft brushes made by disabled people. In the future, we plan to continue to work with more local suppliers and producers and organize regular events such as the Community Market. We hope to communicate the attractiveness of Berlin to as many people as possible.