Companies building wooden shops in Kyushu; Aim to make facilities more environmentally friendly

Retailers build wooden buildings in Kyushu because the production of the building materials is more environmentally friendly in terms of carbon dioxide emissions than is the case with buildings with reinforced concrete or steel frames.

Some companies are aiming to set up similar structures across the country, based on the exemplary cases in Kyushu, where forestry is flourishing.

On September 6, Tokyo-based Ryohin Keikaku Co., operator of the Muji brand, opened its first large-scale wooden store in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. The company said that by building the exhaust with a wood grain finish and a wooden interior, it was able to reduce CO2 emissions in the production of the building materials by approximately 40%, compared to a steel frame construction.

Ryohin Keikaku opened a new wooden store in Hita, Oita Prefecture on Friday, and plans to open several such stores every year.

The company uses wood produced in Kyushu as a raw material for notebooks and other products.

“We want to use wood from forest thinning and other materials to help preserve forests,” said an official from Ryohin Keikaku.

In April, Autobacs Seven Co., a Tokyo-based auto parts dealer, opened its first wooden store in Saga. The exterior of the outlet is like that of other Autobacs stores, but inside, customers can look up to the ceiling and see the wooden frame of the store.

The company said the store can help save energy through its thermal insulation properties and contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“It also had the effect of partially slowing the rising costs of building materials,” said an Autobacs spokesperson.

Of the approximately one hundred new stores that the company plans to open over the next three years, approximately ten will be made of wood.

Local production for local consumption

One reason why companies are introducing wooden stores is the growing global awareness of environmental issues. Forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and products made from thinned wood have a relatively low impact on the environment during their production process.

By building such stores, companies can also promote their environmental activities to consumers and investors.

Forestry is booming in Kyushu, and the island’s abundant timber supply is another factor behind these moves.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Kyushu’s forestry sector generated ¥112.9 billion in economic value in 2021, accounting for about 20% of the national total. It was also the highest regional value.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. opened a wooden shop in Fukuoka in August, and about 40% of the wood used to build the shop came from the city. Seven-Eleven calls it a “next-generation environmentally friendly store,” equipped with a solar power generation system and batteries, and wants to build such stores nationwide.

The new store “will mark the beginning of efforts to create social value, including efforts to decarbonize the economy,” Seven-Eleven Executive Officer Tomohiro Akutsu said at the store’s opening ceremony.

Strict conditions

The government is focusing its efforts on providing support for the construction of wooden buildings. The Forestry Agency has set up a system to promote such construction through cooperation between local authorities and companies.

The agency also included funds for measures to support the construction of wooden commercial facilities in its fiscal year 2025 budget requests.

However, there are some challenges unique to constructing wooden commercial buildings. To meet fire and earthquake resistance standards, strict requirements are imposed on the location of a building and the quality of the materials used for its construction.

There is also a shortage of experts in the design and construction of such buildings compared to the construction of houses.

“Building wooden commercial structures is one way to make effective use of domestic timber, and there is room for expansion in this area in the future,” an agency official said.