SUSTAINABILITY Employee Relations

Training System

Basic Concept—Assist Employees' Career Development

In order to fulfill our Group Philosophy, we operate training programs based on Lawson’s corporate and business strategies so that our employees can attain the knowledge and skills needed for various job types and positions. In order for employees to grow autonomously and foster the ability to think and act on their own, we have established an environment where individual employees can learn proactively in addition to the training system that the company provides. We provide continuous and systematic support to all staff members so that they can learn anytime they want to, including enhanced e-learning systems, regularly-held self-entry-style training programs, and improved LOCP (self-development assistance system) from the perspective of reskilling as well.

Aim of Training Systems

We categorize required knowledge and skills as well as provide training for roles of a wide range of people from new employees to managers. We provide different learning content catered for categories such as technical skills that include basic knowledge required for general staff members and job-specific expert knowledge and skills; human skills required for managers to demonstrate their management abilities and exercise their leadership; conceptual skills for executive candidates to foster management perspectives; training on compliance, human rights, and DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) common for all employees; as well as training for cultivating employees’ awareness such as labor management and DX promotion. We also provide training programs using the optimum means for participants based on the purpose and goals from face-to-face training, online training, and e-learning.

This is a diagram of the training and education system from joining the company (as a general staff member) through to senior management and executive positions. The skill categories are divided into technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills, with appropriate training provided according to position. General staff members receive training for new employees and training for employees at stores as basic knowledge, followed by job-specific training (training for each line) as expert knowledge. When advancing to management positions, they first undergo training by job level (target/entry) as expert knowledge, followed by selective training as management knowledge. Upon advancing further to senior management and executive positions, they take selective training aimed at raising awareness. In addition, training that is common across the company includes courses in compliance and risk management, human rights, DE&I, harassment, sustainability, labor management, career design, and DX promotion.

Major Training Programs

Human Rights and DE&I Training

We hold human rights and DE&I training once a year for all employees to ensure a correct understanding of issues related to discrimination, prejudice and harassment and are able to respect diversity and build workplaces where all can work with peace of mind.

Sustainability Training

To understand and inspire action to realize the Lawson Group's vision of sustainability management, we hold annual sustainability training for all employees.

Compliance and Risk Management Training

We hold compliance and risk management training once a year for all employees with the aim of helping them to understand rules on compliance and risk management as needed in their posts and enabling them to act appropriately. In addition, we provide “training as a manager” tailored to each level in training for new managers at the time of their promotion to management positions.

Labor Management Training

We review laws and rules essential to work. We also hold training on basic labor management knowledge once a year for all employees to allow them to reconsider their own work styles and motivations. In addition, we also hold training for managers on preparedness and basic knowledge for labor management of subordinates once a year. Furthermore, we provide “training as a manager” tailored to each level in training for new managers at the time of their promotion to management positions.

Mental Health

As education related to compliance and risk management and labor management, we provide resilience training for all employees and line care training for all managers to help them to understand and learn about mental health. We also provide training on mental health tailored to each level in training for new employees and training for new managers at the time of their promotion to management positions.
In addition, those to be promoted to management positions are required to complete e-learning on required subjects.

E-learning

To create a culture in which each and every employee takes the initiative in self-development, we operate e-learning as a system to support learning for career development. We provide a system that enables employees to learn whenever they want to learn, including the acquisition of technical skills specific to each type of job, general business skills necessary for working adults, and knowledge on compliance, harassment, mental health, and labor management. The system meets diverse needs by offering 554 courses.

LOCP (Lawson Open Challenge Program)

In order to create a corporate culture in which each and every employee raises his or her own hand and takes the initiative in self-development, we operate a system to support self-development for career development. We provide subsidies for self-education and introduce services that are useful for self-education, such as correspondence courses, commuting courses, external seminars, purchase of study materials, and magazine subscriptions.

●List of main training programs (FY2025)

Name of training Frequency of training Aims of training Main subjects covered
in training 		Number of
participants
per year
Training for new employees
Initial training for new employees joining the company Once a year Learn the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to work at Lawson. ・Group Philosophy, Lawson’s Way, business manners, personnel and labor systems, compliance and risk management, commerce, retail business, chain stores, franchise business, the Three Essential Practices, framework of stores, team building 125
Initial training for new employees joining the company at other times of the year 11 times a year ・Understand Lawson’s organization and systems and the Group Philosophy.
・Understand Lawson’s franchise business.
・Understand Lawson’s store operation. 		・Group Philosophy, Lawson’s history, chain-store theory, business model, personnel systems, compliance and risk management, the Three Essential Practices 138
Training for employees at stores
Training for new employees joining the company (college graduates) 4 times a year ・Learn the basics of building a store to make customers happy.
・Acquire basic knowledge, skills, and etiquette required as working adults and Lawson employees. 		・Sales floor development, budget management, work procedures, franchise business, franchise financial reports, franchise contracts, chain-store theory, back management (hygiene, labor, money), philosophy (five declarations), communication, general knowledge (tax and social security, asset building, DE&I), mental health, branding, store operations, executive lectures 119
Training for new employees joining the company (high school graduates) 3 times a year Understand the basics for a working adult and Lawson employee, and acquire basic knowledge and skills required to become a store manager. ・Sales floor development, chain-store theory, store comparison, budget management, back management (hygiene, disaster prevention, crime prevention), work process, philosophy (five declarations), career design, what it means to be a store manager 8
Pre-store manager promotion training Twice a year Acquire basic knowledge as the managers of directly managed stores (roles of store manager and the concept of the Five Pledges). ・Roles of store manager, formulation of Five Pledges, communication of Five Pledges, realization of Five Pledges, monthly planning, action planning, the store manager ideal 90
Training for new employees joining the company at other times of the year Twice a year Acquire basic knowledge and skills required as Lawson employees. ・Three thorough approaches, sales floor development, work processes, budget management, back management (hygiene, labor, money, disaster prevention, crime prevention), communication, store manager operations 20
Job-specific training
Training for store managers 7 times a year Acquire basic knowledge on store operation required for store managers. ・Sharing store operations, monthly planning, problem solving, business management, SV promotion 253
Follow-up training for store managers Once a year Acquire knowledge required to create a store supported by customers. Reviewing store manager operations, problem solving 6
Training for those newly-appointed to ASVs Twice a year Understand the knowledge and skills required for promotion to a supervisor (SV) in order to acquire abilities to work with franchise stores to create stores supported by customers. Franchise business, supervisor operations, flow of management support, practice 81
Training before promotion to SV 7 times a year Understand the mission of supervisors (SVs), consider own attitude and actions, and acquire the minimum knowledge and skills required for management support as a supervisor. SV-WAY, roles of headquarters and franchise stores, flow of management support, practice, sharing issues 109
SV training 9 times a year Build the ability to analyze individual franchise stores based on the operating years and acquire skills to plan measures and take actions. Problem solving for individual franchise stores, community-based management guidance, understanding human resource development 193
Training for those newly-appointed to MCs Twice a year Understand the roles of management consultants and acquire the required knowledge and skills. Understanding the mission, action guidelines, and roles; sorting and understanding issues regarding requirements for operating an organization; acquiring and practicing basic knowledge on financing and labor management 28
AMD training Twice a year Learn about the supply chain related to the operations of the Product Department as well as main operations, and acquire the minimum knowledge that an assistant merchandiser (AMD) should have. Roles and initiatives of headquarters, work of each department within headquarters, specialized knowledge of related departments such as legal affairs related to operations, confirmation of processes at VDR and distribution centers, merchandiser operations 45
ARFC training 7 times a year Acquire the knowledge and skills required for recruitment field counselors (RFCs). Development operations (property development, franchise development) flow and knowledge on operations, and compliance; confirmation and reflection of the level of mastery 8
Training by job level
Training for new junior managers Twice a year ・As junior managers, understand the requirements and mindset of the job and the key points for applying the necessary knowledge of labor management, employee health, etc. to practice. ・Further strengthen compliance and risk management systems as part of the internal control system. ・Learn basic knowledge of digital transformation (DX) and understand why DX is necessary. ・Requirements for junior managers, mindset as a manager, DX, compliance and risk management, labor management, health of employees, Group Philosophy, reflection, framework thinking, single-tasking, strategic thinking, organization management, accounting 108
Training for new managers Twice a year Acquire the knowledge, skills, and understanding of the roles necessary to attain goals through employees and subordinates, and understand the key points of operations and connect them to behavioral transformation. ・What is expected of managers, management and leadership, compliance and risk management, labor management, health of employees, evaluation system, creating vibrant workplaces 1, 2, 3, coaching 71
Training for new senior-level managers Twice a year ・Further reinforce the compliance and risk management system as part of the internal control system.
・Articulate the individual purpose and find its points of contact with the organizational purpose. Furthermore, recognize how these points of contact relate to business objectives and promote active steps toward goal achievement.
・Thinking about what one should do as a general manager through understanding the four approaches needed to build an organization capable of continued reform into the future, while aiming for organization-wide progress. 		・Mindset of senior-level managers, compliance and risk management, group philosophy, mindset enhancement 21
M1 upskilling training Twice a year Brush up on the knowledge and skills required of M1 workers as persons responsible for promoting business reforms and building rewarding places to work. ・Frameworks thinking, accounting, strategic thinking, single-tasking, organization management 73
M2 upskilling training Twice a year Brush up on the knowledge and skills required of M2 workers as persons responsible for promoting business reforms and building rewarding places to work. ・Creating vibrant workplaces 1, creating vibrant workplaces 2, creating vibrant workplaces 3, business strategy 30
Selective training
Lawson Management School Twice a year Make each individual aware that they are business managers and exercise their leadership to enable the Lawson Group to grow further. What a business manager is; abilities to earn profit, create teams, and seek an ideal 12
Lawson management course Once a year • Develop human resources for the next generation of management from core personnel responsible for Lawson's future.
• Learn the knowledge, skills, and perspectives (fields of view, points of view) that are required for business managers and apply them in operations to improve practical management and leadership abilities. 		・Competitive strategies, finance and accounting, corporate analysis, design thinking, branding, innovation, CSV management, DX, relationship marketing, service management, Purpose management 30
Executive management course Once a year • Develop executives to create Lawson's future.
Acquire the management perspectives needed of Lawson executives.
• Consciousness transformation from how to what and from business and functional optimization to companywide (management) optimization 		・Innovation, leadership, sharing experiences, lectures by business managers, cross-industrial exchange 11
Innovative leader training program Once a year Produce new world-class management leaders from Japan. Liberal arts, management, leadership, and management issues 1
Common for all employees
Human rights and DE&I training Once a year Gain a proper understanding of discrimination, bias, and harassment and learn about actions to build workplaces with respect for diversity, where all can work with peace of mind. ・Understanding diversity; common types of diversity conflicts that result in discrimination; harassment; factors causing discrimination and harassment; human rights hotlines All employees
Sustainability training Once a year Understand initiatives to realize the Lawson Group's vision for sustainability management and connect them to action. ・Sustainability management; Lawson Group environmental vision and initiatives; Lawson's social initiatives; what we can do All employees
Compliance and risk management training Once a year Cultivate awareness of compliance and risk management in everyday duties and take appropriate action. ・Lawson Code of Ethics, compliance priorities, controlling risks, risk management, and incident management All employees
Labor management training Once a year Acquire basic knowledge of correct work styles and labor management Basic knowledge of daily working style and working hours, work plans, work reports All employees
Labor management training for managers Once a year Acquire the mindset and basic knowledge of labor management for subordinates, and realize appropriate labor management Basic knowledge of labor management, understanding of working hours, concept of overtime work, work plans All managers
Career design training for age 53 5 times a year Looking at turning points in careers that can occur in the future, have employees reconsider their career from various perspectives, including work, health, leisure, and money to provide an opportunity to think about their future career independently. Personnel system for those 55 years and older, life plan, money plan, health and leisure, what is independent career development, career plan 124
Career design training for those in their 30s and similar ages 5 times a year Identify personal strengths and career axes and make values clear by reviewing past work experience and results. Develop practical career plans for the coming five and 10 years and put them to use on the job going forward. • Learning about sources of personal strength through subjects such as changes through past work experience
• Taking stock of personal strengths and weaknesses, master new strengths, and link them to experiences and be inspired by others through group work
• Developing a vision for the future and preparing an action plan to achieve it, which will be used in career development interviews with superiors 		87
Female employee career design training Once a year Formulate a long-term career vision and think about a work style conscious of balancing life events. Company initiatives for DE&I promotion and the status of women's participation in the workplace, work-life balance support systems, career thinking, lectures by senior female employees and roundtable discussions 33
Training for employees on childcare leave Twice a year Prior to reinstatement, catch up with the company situation, think about the work style that suits oneself in balancing childcare, and resolve any concerns and questions. Business policy for the next fiscal year, work style after reinstatement (career thinking), personnel systems and benefits, lectures by employees who balance childcare and roundtable discussions 50
Training for employees returning from childcare leave Once a year Provide opportunities to take the first steps working one's own way, by easing uncertainty about returning to work. Also, build better relationships between returning employees and superiors, through understanding one another's feelings and situation. ・Work styles and systems, introductions to case studies and best practices (pair presentations by superiors and returning employees), pair sessions for superiors and returning employees 58
International employee follow-up training 3 times a year Learn how to leverage international employees' strengths and develop long-term career visions. Also, foster vertical and horizontal communication through roundtable discussions between prospective hires and senior employees. ・Lawson's DEI promotion initiatives and status of international employees; career thinking; roundtable discussions with prospective hires; panel discussions by senior employees; Japanese culture as it relates to Lawson's businesses; work on thinking about business from a global perspective 7

Training for Affiliate Stores (BMC Training)

We provide BMC training for affiliate stores that are just starting out in business, to help them learn the principles, concepts, and operations for a smooth start in store management and sales. A total of 223 people take this course annually (2025).




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