Developing Station Commercial Facilities to Increase Line Section Value Ayako Tsuji

Development of Stations and Surrounding Areas Developing Station Commercial Facilities to Increase Line Section Value Ayako Tsuji West Japan Railway Company (JR West) restructured its space, which caused shop placement to diverge from in-station retail companies in 2001. In doing so, we created customers’ needs. The lag in development in regional areas a system where in-station business matches the individual with poor profitability compared to the urban Keihanshin characteristics of stations. In the Keihanshin (Kyoto/Osaka/ area also became an issue. In addition, the inefficient Kobe) region, we developed a ‘three-company model’ for system where multiple group companies ran similar business Kiosk/convenience store, fashion, and food businesses. In operations was in dire need of improvement from the group other regions, we developed an area-specific system. We management standpoint. also adopted a ‘sales of goods and food services company’ To meet these challenges, we undertook radical model. Currently, we are looking to build a new model for restructuring of in-station retail companies in 2001, resulting in-station business to increase overall convenience and in a three-company shop/convenience store, fashion, and achieve shop space with greater added value. food business model for the Keihanshin area. An area- specific model was adopted for Kanazawa, Okayama, Introduction Yonago, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka. Furthermore, we established West Japan Railway Daily Service Net Company JR West is working to raise the value of ‘line sections’ in (DSN) as a business overseeing the Keihanshin area with order to raise attractiveness and convenience and achieve each shop and convenience store positioned as an affiliate. sustained growth. The company is doing this by cooperating By introducing a ‘sales of goods and food services company with local governments and local residents to meet system,’ we created a system for matching in-station community needs in line-section units that include areas business to each station’s unique characteristics. around stations. As a part of these efforts, we are working with group Background to In-Station Business companies to increase the added value of the town by creating high-function stations acting as the town ‘face’ The progress in development of in-station shops decreased or ‘gateway.’ the number of areas that could be developed further. This article describes some in-station commercial Consequently, we switched to developments requiring high facilities that are particularly important in terms of station investment, such as construction of over-the-track malls and passenger services. It introduces efforts to date, such as full overhaul of entire stations. development planning and implemented items, and post- We are looking at a new in-station business model for launch operational status with two examples of recent development schemes requiring a long time before there is projects. Finally, the future outlook is mentioned briefly. any return on investment. The conventional model has been to establish individual shops in empty space, but the new In-Station Business Situation model involves renovation of station facilities and optimum placement of shops to increase overall convenience for Before introducing some specific in-station commercial passengers. We are also creating new shop space with facilities, we need some simple background about the JR higher added value by improving commercial space and West station business system. conducting entire-zone management measures based on a Retail business in JR West stations was originally run unified shop zoning concept. by four companies; two (West Japan Kiosk, JR West Retex) sold non-food goods and two (JR West Japan Restaurant, Recent Developments JR West Japan Foods) sold food services. However, the decreasing number of railway passengers caused intensified Shin-Kobe Station (opened 12 October 2007) competition between group companies to secure shop The reconstruction of Shin-Kobe Station on the San’yo Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010 14 Development of stations and surrounding areas Figure 1 JR West Station Business System Previous system West Japan Kiosk JR West Retex JR West Japan Foods JR West Japan Restaurant (Commuter Shops, Gift (Convenience Stores, (Coffee Shops, Fast Food) (Restaurants, Cafés, etc.) Shops, Bookshops, etc.) Pharmacies) Current system Sales of Goods and Food Services Companies West Japan Railway Daily Keihanshin Service Net Company West Japan Railway West Japan Railway Food Area Fashion Goods Co., Ltd. Service Net Company (Parent Company) Japan Railway Japan Railway Japan Railway Japan Railway Japan Railway Individual Service Net Service Net Service Net Service Net Service Net Regions Kanazawa Okayama Yonago Hiroshima Fukuoka Company Company Company Company Company Shinkansen resulted in extensive rearrangement of the • Aisles were narrow and shops were difficult to move in, station and commercial facilities. Before renovation, the causing serious overcrowding at peak periods. station faced the following issues: • There was an inadequate number of food and beverage • Many passengers felt the station was ‘dark,’ ‘inorganic,’ shops and a lack of seats in existing shops. and ‘drab.’ • The long distance between ticket wickets and ticket We redeveloped the entire in-station area to create a office and the disorganized placement of ticket vending shinkansen station functioning as the gateway to Kobe and machines slowed down passengers. overcome the above problems. To build an efficient sales • Shop arrangement inside the station was disordered, system that does not keep passengers waiting, the ticket and lines and facades lacked unity. office was moved near the ticket gates and the ticket vending • Shop space was small, leading to a poor product range. machines were concentrated in one area. 15 Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010 We also remodelled the concourse roof and columns and impact of shops by locating them in one zone with a to provide a comfortable station space, and created new specific sense of unity. We aimed to make the zone a unified facilities, such as mobile communications corners and public environment and to create a space that had a feeling a multi-purpose room with nursing space to enhance of unity with the station facilities by using a ‘settlement’ motif functionality. We further worked to improve services for representing Kobe. passengers by air conditioning the whole concourse and This motif came from Kobe’s post-feudal development providing more and cleaner toilets. when the port was opened up to foreign trade. The In the shopping zone, we raised the overall presence British civil engineer J. W. Hart (1870–1900) designed the Figure 2 Shin-Kobe Station ticketed area facilities Before upgrade Goods shops Awajiya Parlor Mikado (Lunch Boxes) Beer Café Food and drink shops (Restaurant) Daily • in Ticket Counter/ (Convenience Store) Vending Machines Nishi Akashi Shin Osaka Kiosk Omiyage Kaido Ticket Gate (Gifts) Omiyage Rakuichi (Gifts) After upgrade Entrée Marché (Convenience Store+Gifts) Usu Usu Beer Café Ticket Counter/ Deli Café Express (Restaurant) Vending Machines Awajiya • Tabibento Ticket Gate Mobile Communications (Lunch Boxes) Corner Mikado Jiyutei Multipurpose Room (Restaurant) (Nursing Room) Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010 16 Development of stations and surrounding areas Shin-Kobe Entrée Marché convenient one-stop shop (JR West) Usu Usu Japanese restaurant serving local dishes and delicacies (JR West) 17 Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010 Figure 3 Takarazuka Station ticketed area facilities Before upgrade Ticket Gate Fukuchiyama Amagasaki Passageway Kiosk Termini (Café) to Hankyu Heart • in Takarazuka Station (Convenience Store) After upgrade Eki Marché Concourse Takarazuka Kiosk Ticket Gate Passageway Toilets Station Office Ticket Counter to Hankyu Takarazuka Station Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010 18 Development of stations and surrounding areas foreigners’ settlement in the Hyogo Port area based on between the wickets and platforms for use by passengers modern European city planning concepts and the area still with a few minutes to spare before their trains and for friends features fashionable buildings and offices that make use of seeing off passengers. modern western architecture. Shin-Kobe Entrée Marché —the core shop of the Development at Takarazuka Station (opened 8 March 2010) commercial zone—is a convenient one-stop shop that Takarazuka Station was redeveloped with a station square meets convenience and gift store needs under one roof project promoted by Takarazuka City. The station was and now features a book corner in response to customers’ elevated and a new commercial facility called Eki Marché requests. The name was created from the French words Takarazuka opened over the tracks. entrée, (entrance) as befitting the gateway to Kobe and The exterior concept was to give a unified design to the marché (market) to evoke the image of a lively location with station and commercial zone as a whole. To blend with the a wide array of products. Sufficient aisle space was secured town, the station design is elegant and glamorous and gives in the shop to improve mobility for passengers with luggage, a feel for Takarazuka’s history. enabling them to move through easily. In the commercial zone, we analyzed and integrated Products strongly evoke the image of Kobe with shops customer needs identified from market surveys,

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