A number of projects that the planning company CCC has worked on so far. "#KikakunoKikkake" shines a light on the story hidden behind each project, how one person's idea eventually grows into a business.

This time, we bring you interviews with two people who work at DAIKANYAMA T-SITE and Starbucks Coffee DAIKANYAMA T-SITE!

A project called "BOOK & CAFE" created by CCC

-One of CCC's projects is "BOOK & CAFE." Could you tell us how it got started? DAIKANYAMA T-SITE, where you both work, is also a BOOK & CAFE.

Honjo: The first "BOOK & CAFE" store was "TSUTAYA TOKYO ROPPONGI" (now "ROPPONGI TSUTAYA BOOKS"), which opened in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo in 2003. A licensing agreement was signed with Starbucks Coffee Japan in March 2005, and the store was born as a new style of bookstore. The bookstore and cafe are located next to each other, and you can bring books and magazines into the cafe and try them out before purchasing them. There are also many cafe seats within the book section, so you can choose a book with a cup of coffee in hand.
DAIKANYAMA T-SITE opened in December 2011. Until then, TSUTAYA's main target was people in their 20s and 30s, and it was a store that offered lifestyle suggestions to young people, focusing on entertainment content such as comics, games, music CDs, and movie DVD rentals. However, as Japan's population changes, we decided to open a store in the quiet residential area of Daikanyama, targeting mainly customers in their 50s and 60s, with the aim of creating a "cultural stronghold for adults" where "concierges" well-versed in various lifestyle genres would offer lifestyle suggestions through a variety of items such as books, miscellaneous goods, CDs/DVDs, etc.

-Now that DAIKANYAMA T-SITE and Starbucks Coffee have opened side by side, do you feel there is any value or synergy that can be provided by being located together?

Honjo: By the time DAIKANYAMA T-SITE was established, the "BOOK & CAFE" business model was already well known to customers. "BOOK & CAFE" was first developed at "TSUTAYA TOKYO ROPPONGI" in 2003, and the style of stores combining "TSUTAYA" and Starbucks Coffee has since spread.
Furthermore, TSUTAYA BOOKS also offers the value of allowing customers to enjoy their time at their own pace, just as they would at home, and we believe that books and coffee are essential for this purpose.

Nakashima: I think when it first opened, people were surprised to find a bookstore where you could drink coffee. Even now, I sometimes get asked, "Is it okay to enjoy a book with coffee before purchasing it?"
DAIKANYAMA T-SITE is located a little far from Daikanyama Station, but many customers visit it. I think this is because customers feel that the store has "spatial value."The fact that the bookstore and cafe are combined together allows us to offer the value of being able to choose a book while sipping coffee in an inspiring space.

To increase customer value.

-I think your stores sometimes hold events and collaboration projects, but what kind of projects do you do? Also, when did they start?

Honjo: We once held a "Coffee Seminar," an event sponsored by Starbucks Coffee where people learned how to brew coffee, in the event space of TSUTAYA BOOKS. Events at Starbucks Coffee DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS often use the event space on the TSUTAYA BOOKS side.

Nakashima: We once held a barista experience event for children in the kids' space inside TSUTAYA BOOKS. The seats in the kids' space are low and designed to be safe for children to use, and I think it was an event that parents and children who came to play enjoyed.

We propose a project in the area of Daikanyama.

-Have you implemented any projects in Daikanyama to "increase customer value"?

Nakashima: To maximize the value of "BOOK & CAFE," we created a platform in front of the Starbucks Coffee bar counter that displays Starbucks tumblers and other items, as well as coffee-related books and related goods.

Honjo: During events such as summer festivals and flea markets, Starbucks participated in raffle planning and distributed Starbucks coffee, helping to make these projects a reality.

Nakashima: The entire "DAIKANYAMA T-SITE" facility is large, which can be challenging, but that's exactly why we all need to keep an eye on the entire store, help each other, and increase customer value.

-Is there anything you would like to work on in the future?

Honjo: Originally, we had a cafe lounge called "Anjin," and in December 2022, "SHARE LOUNGE" opened inside DAIKANYAMA T-SITE, giving customers more options for places to enjoy a drink with a book, allowing them to choose where to spend their time depending on the occasion and purpose. Now that there are more options available, we hope to be able to offer our customers the customer value of "enjoying a book and coffee" more broadly, rather than being confined to each individual store or business. For example, customers can enjoy coffee purchased at Starbucks Coffee in the SHARE LOUNGE, and we would like to continue to explore ways to provide the greatest satisfaction to our customers.

Nakashima: We would like to further advance DX (digital transformation).
Starbucks has a system called MOP (Mobile Order & Pay), where you can order and pay in advance on your smartphone and then pick up your order, and they also sometimes take orders through delivery services such as Uber Eats.
At Starbucks Coffee DAIKANYAMA T-SITE, orders from such digital sources account for a high proportion of orders, at around 50%, during the busiest times.
While customers wait for their drinks, we would like to create a store where they can enjoy the space even more, by reading a book or looking at the products, which is one of TSUTAYA BOOKS's strengths.

Another thing we're hoping to try starting next month is a project where we'll deliver drinks to customers who order using MOP and bring their pet dogs to the front of the store.
One of the features of Starbucks Coffee DAIKANYAMA T-SITE is that many customers bring their pet dogs with them when they visit. We hope this service will be useful for people who want to buy a drink while on a walk but can't take their eyes off their dog.

Honjo: When MOP started, I was talking to the store manager at the time and we said, "This could be the perfect service for DAIKANYAMA T-SITE!"
Starbucks Coffee DAIKANYAMA T-SITE is visited by many customers, especially on holidays. It's great to be able to buy a drink without having to wait in line and read a book in the bookstore while you wait for your turn to be served.
TSUTAYA BOOKS staff also worked together to spread the word about MOP, placing many leaflets throughout the library and putting up mobile ordering signs on the terrace seats.

Career path in the BOOK & CAFE business

-I'd like to hear about how it's like working as an employee at BOOK & CAFE and your thoughts on your career path.

Nakashima: In terms of the career path in CCC's BOOK & CAFE business, if you start by working at a cafe such as Starbucks, you will become a time zone manager through store work, and then gain experience as an assistant store manager and store manager (store manager). Beyond that, some people work as area managers who oversee a region, or provide human resources support at CCC headquarters or support the development of new Starbucks stores. Some have also changed careers, leaving the BOOK & CAFE business behind and taking on completely different jobs at other Tsutaya bookstores.

Honjo: I feel that the range of career options has expanded especially recently. I feel that an environment has been created where employees can take the initiative in their careers by taking advantage of internal job postings called "C Challenge"*1, not just through store businesses such as TSUTAYA BOOKS, but also by moving to CCC MK HOLDINGS.
Starbucks has prepared a variety of manuals, training programs, and career development programs so that employees can learn store management in a systematic manner. Therefore, I believe that the skills and experience I gained there can often be put to use in store operations at TSUTAYA and TSUTAYA BOOKSs.

*1: C Challenge is a system in which recruitment requirements from each department are posted within the company and employees are free to apply (an internal recruitment system).
You can apply for all open positions regardless of your current job type, field, or seniority, and if you pass the selection process, you will be transferred and be able to take on the challenge of new work.

-Please tell us about the job characteristics of the Starbucks store manager position.

Honjo: One of Starbucks' unique features is that store managers meet with all partners (store staff) once every four months. In Daikanyama, we meet with approximately 70 partners for one hour each, once every four months. I think this is a job that can only be done by people who are good at listening, facing others, and managing others.

Nakashima: The most important job of a store manager is to develop employees. The four-month interviews are also part of employee development. Of course, the scope of work is broad, but I think the advantage of building a career at Starbucks is that you can learn the mindset needed to build trusting relationships with customers and partners, and the communication skills to listen attentively. If you are interested in management and developing people by conveying not only methods but also ways of thinking, then please give it a try.
I also think you will learn how to read numbers and acquire future skills as a store manager. Starbucks has very detailed daily, weekly, and quarterly to-do lists and schedules, so employees work according to those schedules, and when new products are released, they come up with their own promotional plans and announce them on blackboards in the stores. It's fun not just doing what you're told, but also coming up with your own ideas to increase sales while still adhering to regulations.

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