Store Management Team Members, MUJI Telford Plaza

　MUJI Telford Plaza, which opened in June 2020, has been enjoying high level of popularity in the local community since its opening. Being the largest MUJI store in Hong Kong and the first one to focus on “food,” this store introduces new products and services related to food, and has held various events to foster communications between customers and producers. This month, we invited the store management team members of MUJI Telford Plaza to share their thoughts, initiatives and future goals.

■About MUJI Telford Plaza
　MUJI Telford Plaza is located in Kowloon Bay, a densely-populated area and a major cluster of the Kowloon East area. Being the largest MUJI store in HK with a total trading area of 2,200 sqm, this store features products and services related to food culture such as “Food Market” and Tea & Rice Ordering Service, bringing customers a wide range of fresh and healthy home dining options and building their interests towards nature and the producers. Café&Meal MUJI is also established in the store with the offering of hand drip coffee, fresh bakery, light meals and all-day menu to offer customers a variety of healthy dine-in and takeaway choices.
　Stepping into 20th anniversary for MUJI’s presence in HK, to share the MUJI’s ideology of a simple, pleasant life, the store will continue to feature the most comprehensive merchandise and service assortment, taking care of every aspect of daily life. For instance, Embroidery Service, Accessories & Parts Replacement Service, Interior Advisory Service, etc. are available to bring more convenience and inspirations to everyday life.
　Besides, our store was the first in HK to launch “CITY to GO” – a communication platform for people living and working nearby to share discoveries about Kowloon East community. We have established four themes, namely “Dining,” “Good Things,” “Learning” and “Relaxation” for customers and staff to share about the new and old things they came across in the community, hoping to make local life become more inspiring and interesting.

■Launch of Kyushu Fair that sells products from Fukuoka & Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
　Customers in HK believe that “eat seasonally” is the best since the taste and nutrition level are at their peak. At the same time, COVID-19 pandemic has increased customers’ awareness in health and demand in natural taste. Since Japan vegetables and fruits are very popular in HK for their freshness, delicious taste, and strict quality control, we considered sourcing in-season fresh items from Japan.
　During the sourcing process, our merchandising team came across with Fukuoka and Yamaguchi Prefecture Representatives who have been very helpful in sharing information about seasonal items of their regions. With their help as well as the cooperation of many others, we were able to hold a “Kyushu Fair” from January 11th to February 7th, 2021 at our “Food Market,” selling a delicate assortment of tasty and healthy in-season vegetables and fruits such as sweet potato, cabbage, broccoli, strawberry, and mikan (mandarin orange) from Fukuoka & Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
　The most difficult challenge we had encountered when preparing for this event was logistics. Due to COVID-19 outbreak, we experienced disruptions in air shipment and local delivery, hence our team had to react quickly for stock storage and replenishment, display planning, and retail selling price adjustment to run the event smoothly and maintain an optimal stock turnover. In addition, the pandemic also affected our promotion execution, such as the cancellation of the visit of Kumamon and local farmers from Kyushu. Luckily, with the support of Fukuoka and Yamaguchi Prefecture and our team members, the Kyushu Fair was successfully held.
　At the Kyushu Fair, we set up display promotion table with supports of thematic POP so customers could learn more about the natural environment and signature produces of Kyushu area. In addition, our pastry chef at Café&Meal MUJI specially prepared time-limited desserts using Kyushu strawberry and mikan as ingredients for a redemption promotion. During the promotion period, customers were entitled to a complimentary piece of Café&Meal MUJI dessert upon any single purchase of Kyushu strawberry and mikan at “Food Market”.
　The responses from customers were very satisfactory. Some customers commented that the store display was impressive and the produces were delicious, giving them a feeling of having vacation in Japan. Although the promotion period was not long, we were very pleased to see repeated customers visiting our store and they also told us that they would be happy if similar Japan Fair can be held again the future.

■Things that you value in your daily work
　We are very delighted to be given the opportunity of opening and operating MUJI Telford Plaza. Operating such a large-scaled store is very challenging since the store offers many elements that were once brand new to us, such as “Food Market”, Tea & Rice Ordering Service, Embroidery Service, etc., and even the launch of Frozen Food at our store was first in Hong Kong too. Therefore, we have been encountering a lot of trials and errors every day, and sometimes our team members would feel stressful and discouraging too. As a store management team member, how to motivate and educate our staff is what we always pay attention to in our daily work, and hence we have been putting efforts on on-the-job training and coaching. Now that the store has been opening for more than 7 months, it is rewarding to see that many of our staff have become more confident and resilient while working, contributing to a more efficient store operation and better customer response.

■Future goals
　Firstly, at MUJI Telford Plaza, we aspire to become a communication platform for people living and working nearby so we can connect closer to the community. When COVID-19 is over, we will plan and resume in-store events and community initiatives so as to have more opportunities to engage our customers, and ultimately contribute to the achievement of a simple, pleasant life and society.
　Secondly, to better cater customer needs, we will closely observe customers’ behavior and buying pattern, and constantly feedback our findings to supporting departments to improve and optimize our product and service in order to achieve higher level of customer satisfaction.
　In this way, we wish to better serve our customers, further facilitate communications, and build a long-term good relationship with the community.

■Related Article
MUJI Telford Plaza Opened