20 Muji Stores to Be Constructed of Wood Using Domestic Timber

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:48 JST, June 1, 2023

Ryohin Keikaku Co., operator of the Muji brand of household products, will build about 20 stores made of wood over the next five years, using domestic timber for the construction for the first time.

The move to actively utilize domestic timber is part of Ryohin Keikaku’s efforts to pursue an eco-friendly business model.

The company has concluded an agreement with the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, which is promoting the use of domestic timber.

It plans to use a total of 10,000 cubic meters of domestic timber over the next five years. Wood has high insulation properties and can thus be expected to save energy, linking its use to efforts to realize a decarbonized society.

Ryohin Keikaku is looking to use the know-how gained from building the stores with domestic timber to sell wooden structures in the future.

“This is an important initiative in the use of natural resources, and we want to this to be the first step toward a new industrial structure that will draw in other companies,” Ryohin Keikaku President Nobuo Domae said at a press conference on Wednesday.