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Member introduction: Wexthuset Japan - Planting the first seeds of “Nordic urban gardening” in Japan
NEWS | Features

Member introduction: Wexthuset Japan - Planting the first seeds of “Nordic urban gardening” in Japan

04 November 2018 | Written by sccj_office

Until very recently, “Nordic urban gardening” was virtually unheard of in Japan. Western style gardening in Japan was strongly associated with other styles of gardening—for example the English style. Indeed, Mr. Watatani was no exception. He only first learned about Nordic urban gardening in 2014, when he was a MBA student at Waseda Business School in Tokyo. This “encounter” took place through a close friend of Mr. Watatani; a young Swede named Mr. Ronnie Sandstrom.

Mr. Sandstrom’s knowledge of Nordic urban gardening came from his mother—a Swedish entrepreneur and founder of Wexthuset AB Ms. Lena Ljungquist. Established in Ms. Ljungquist’s backyard in 2003, Wexthuset had, over the years, successfully established its reputation as an online supplier of gardening equipment such as pots, planting lights, and hydroponic stations. These products are now popular, not only among Swedish gardening aficionados, but also among “homegrown” botanists in other neighboring Scandinavian and European countries.

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(Photo of Mr. Hiroaki Watatani)


It did not take time for Mr. Watatani’s initial interest in Nordic urban gardening to grow into a sense of fascination. According to Mr. Watatani: “This style of gardening goes very well with many Japanese people’s lifestyles. Firstly, it is an indoor activity so you don’t need to have a garden. Secondly, it is very compact so it only takes up a small space of your house or apartment. Thirdly, it’s a relatively simple, easy, and time-efficient way of enriching your life”.

Mr. Watatani explains that another reason why he decided to embark on this business venture was the lack of competition: “This style of gardening is still virtually unknown in Japan. Based on our research and analysis, we discovered that the number of direct competitors were practically nil”.

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In 2016 and 2017, Mr. Watatani visited Wexthuset’s office in Sweden and shared his business plan face-to-face with Ms. Ljungquist. Soon thereafter, at the beginning of 2018, with Ms. Ljungquist’s endorsement as a token, Mr. Watatani established the company’s Japan franchise in Asaka-city, Saitama Prefecture.

“The business model here in Japan is the same as the one in Sweden. Wexthuset’s products are only available for purchase online on Wexthuset Japan’s website. All of the gardening equipment showcased on our website are imported from Sweden. The only products we obtain locally here in Japan are the seeds, soil, fertilizers and some auxiliary materials. This is mainly due to restrictions put in place by the government” explained Mr. Watatani.

As their style of gardening has only recently started to see the day of light in Japan, at present, Mr. Watatani is allocating a lot of resources on various PR activities. Earlier in the year, he went on air at a major Japanese radio station to reach out and “enlighten” his potential customer base the benefits of Nordic urban gardening. The company also updates its Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts regularly.

Mr. Watatani sees this lack of awareness more as an opportunity than an inconvenience. “I think there is a whole new market out there. This style of gardening is very different from other styles of gardening that have already put down their roots in Japan. So we are trying to get new people interested. I think our biggest customer base is people who have not yet taken up gardening as a recreational activity. Because Nordic urban gardening is really easy to start, very economical, very enriching, and doesn’t take up too much time, I think it has good potential for growth over the coming years” stated Mr. Watatani.

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(Photo: J Tanikawa at Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo, recieving official visit by HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia) 

In the future, Mr. Watatani is interested in promoting Wexthuset’s products at various foreign chamber of commerce organized events; this includes events organized by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan. His short term goal is to strengthen Wexthuset’s B-to-C arm; over the mid-to-long term, he plans to allocate more time and resource in developing its B-to-B arm, too.

Although Mr. Watatani only recently established Wexthuset’s business in Japan, the company he presides over—Asaka Shinkan—has been in operation since 1935. Originally founded as a producer of copper-zinc alloy seamless tube, it overhauled its business at around 2006 and has since shifted its primary business unit to real estate; its other business units are venture business investment and the importing of racing karts. Mr. Watatani is the fourth-generation president of his family’s business.

Mr. Watatani and his coworkers at Wexthuset Japan are very excited about joining SCCJ. They are looking forward to promoting the core values and benefits of Nordic style urban gardening as a SCCJ member.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Wexthuset Japan as a new member of SCCJ. You can find out more about Wexthuset Japan at: https://www.wexthuset.jp/

 

 

北欧風アーバンガーデニングの提案

すっかり暖かくなり、ガーデニング愛好家の方々は自分好みの色彩豊かなガーデンを整えていることでしょう。それはまさに芸術的な創作ともいえます。しかしWexthuset Japanでは新しいガーデニングの提案をしています。「北欧風アーバンガーデニング」はより手軽で無理のないガーデニングを楽しむ方法です。桜が舞い上がる頃にWexthuset Japan代表の綿谷浩明氏を訪ねて彼らが提案するガーデニングの考えや事業戦略について取材をしてきました。

英国などの欧米風ガーデニングは日本でも人気が確立されている一方で、「北欧風アーバンガーデニング」という言葉はつい最近まで日本で耳にすることはありませんでした。Wexthuset Japan代表の綿谷氏も同様です。2014年に早稲田大学ビジネススクールにてMBAプログラムを受講していた際にスウェーデン人の友人、Ronnie Sandstromとの交流の中で知ったそうです。

Sandstromさんの母親であり、実業家でもあるLena Ljungquistこそが2003年にWexthusetを設立した創業者でした。自宅の庭から始まったガーデニング用品のオンライン販売では、鉢やライト、水耕栽培ステーションなどを扱っていました。今ではスウェーデンだけでなく、北欧諸国やヨーロッパ各国でも人気の製品となりました。

北欧風ガーデニングに魅せられた綿谷氏は「日本のライフスタイルにもぴったりだと思った。庭がなくても室内で楽しめ、場所を取らないので狭い日本の住宅でも十分に可能で、簡単で効率的に生活に潤いを与えられる」と説明します。

また、この事業に関心を持った理由として競合が少ない点が挙げられます。「日本ではまだほとんど知られていないガーデニングスタイルであり、独自に調べたところ、競合がほとんどいなかった」と言うことです。

実際に2016年と2017年にスウェーデンを訪れ、Ljungquist社長に直にビジネス戦略を訴え、2018年に埼玉県朝霞市にて日本におけるフランチャイズ事業を開始しました。

「日本におけるビジネスモデルもスウェーデンのものと同様で、Wexthuset Japanの公式サイトでのみ販売を行う。取扱製品は全てスウェーデンから輸入したもので、国内産は輸入規制のあるタネ、土、肥料、その他の付属品等となります。」

日本では認知され始めたばかりのため、現在は様々なPR活動に注力しているようです。年初にはラジオ番組に出演し、北欧風アーバンガーデニングへの情熱を語ったそうです。その他、InstagramやTwitterなどのSNSも活用して情報を発信しています。

綿谷氏は現在の知名度の低さをむしろ伸びしろだと捉え、「既存のガーデニングスタイルとは全く異なる新しい市場が生まれるまでにそう長くはかからないだろう。ガーデニング未経験者を潜在顧客とし、手軽で簡単な北欧風のアーバンガーデニングで生活の中に緑を取り込んで欲しい」と意気込みを見せています。

今後もSCCJを含む様々な外国商工会議所のイベントに出展し、短期的なゴールとしてB2C事業を強化したのちに、B2Bにも力を入れていく考えです。

Wexthusetは日本に参入したばかりですが、親会社である朝霞伸管工業は1935年に設立されています。伸銅業から始まり、2006年頃からは不動産を中心に様々な分野で事業を広めています。綿谷氏は同社4代目社長になります。

綿谷氏とWexthuset JapanスタッフはSCCJ入会により、北欧風アーバンガーデニングの魅力を広めていけることに期待を寄せています。

SCCJへの入会を心より歓迎します。
Wexthuset Japanの詳細はこちら(https://www.wexthuset.jp/

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