Key Facts
• Seven-Eleven Japan’s President Tomohiro Akutsu assumed office in May 2025.
• Akutsu announced a shift in product decision-making from executives to planning teams.
• The company faces challenges due to rising prices and lagging price adjustments.
• Akutsu emphasized avoiding a low-price strategy to attract long-term customers.
• Current product development overly focuses on taste, limiting innovative ideas.
• Plans include revising product development to encourage flexible, creative approaches.
• Advertising strategies will be revamped, including using popular celebrities and new slogans.
• Akutsu aims to create a “playful yet excellent” brand image.
• The company’s TV commercials are criticized as “too conventional and unexciting.”
Summary
Tomohiro Akutsu, President of Seven-Eleven Japan since May 2025, is spearheading a cultural shift within the company. In a recent interview, Akutsu revealed plans to decentralize decision-making by transferring product development authority from executives to planning teams. This move aims to foster innovation and flexibility in product creation, addressing the current overemphasis on taste that stifles creativity. Despite challenges from rising prices and lagging price adjustments, Akutsu dismissed pursuing a low-price strategy, focusing instead on sustainable customer engagement. Additionally, the company plans to revamp its advertising approach, incorporating popular celebrities and fresh slogans to enhance its brand image. Akutsu envisions a “playful yet excellent” identity for Seven-Eleven Japan, moving away from its current “conventional and unexciting” advertising style.
