What Heiwado does

Heiwado (株式会社平和堂, ticker 8276 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange) is a publicly traded regional supermarket operator headquartered in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 1957 as a shoe and bag store and transitioning to supermarket retail in subsequent decades, the company now operates approximately 156 stores across nine prefectures in central Japan (Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, Gifu, and Aichi) through three retail formats: Al Plaza shopping centers, Friend Mart neighborhood stores, and directly operated Heiwado-branded supermarkets. It serves daily-grocery, fresh-food, and household-needs demand from local communities, with specialized offerings for elderly and mobility-limited customers via home support services, mobile sales vehicles, and net supermarket delivery. The company employs over 10,000 people and reports annual revenue of approximately 600 billion yen.

Heiwado's core technology and product ecosystem centers on a proprietary loyalty and payments platform (HOP Card, HOP App, HOP VISA, HOP Bank, HOP Money), private label brands (E-WA! emphasizing local sourcing and sustainability, and Kurashi Moa co-developed with the Nichirio Group), and vertically integrated supply capabilities including Heiwado Farm (JGAP-certified agribusiness launched 2020) and wholly owned subsidiary Bestone (food processing for private brand products). Additional group companies include Five Star Co., Ltd. operating COCO'S and Umiza restaurant chains (where HOP Money is accepted in Shiga Prefecture), and Heiwado Real Estate Co., Ltd. managing shopping center tenant leasing. Customer segments span general consumers, health-conscious shoppers, families with children (via the Love Kids membership), and elderly/mobility-limited customers served through concierge shopping and delivery. The revenue model combines transactional retail sales, recurring loyalty engagement and data monetization, subscription-like home support services, and tenant lease income.

The company is publicly listed with dispersed shareholder ownership, a 66 yen full-year dividend forecast for FY2026 (33 yen interim and 33 yen year-end), and an active corporate governance profile evidenced by the 69th regular general meeting of shareholders scheduled for 2026. Heiwado holds ISO 14001 environmental management certification (achieved in 2004) and has accumulated a broad portfolio of regional and national awards spanning sustainability, workplace culture, food loss reduction, and disability employment. Strategic emphasis is on deepening the loyalty ecosystem, extending service adjacencies (energy retail via Shin Energy partnership, franchise diversification via JDAC Dance School), and reinforcing regional community positioning rather than geographic expansion beyond the existing nine-prefecture footprint.

Name

Heiwado

Legal name

株式会社平和堂

Website

https://heiwado.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Heiwado is a publicly traded regional Japanese supermarket chain operating approximately 156 stores across nine central-Japan prefectures via Al Plaza, Friend Mart, and Heiwado formats, serving local communities through groceries, private brands (E-WA!, Kurashi Moa), HOP loyalty ecosystem, and home support services for elderly customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supermarket Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511), Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Line Supermarkets (National/Regional Chains) (CRAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Supermarket Operators with In-Store Foodservice/Prepared Foods Focus (CRAHAAAJ)

Keywords

• Supermarket retail
• Grocery distribution
• Private label brands
• Customer loyalty programs
• Regional retail chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Hikone

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: Revenue from supermarket retail operations including grocery, fresh foods, daily necessities, and general merchandise across physical store locations. Also includes sales through private brand products (E-WA!, Kurashi More).
2. HOP Card Loyalty Program: Points-based loyalty program generating recurring customer engagement and data collection through HOP card memberships.
3. Tenant Lease Income: Revenue from leasing retail space to third-party tenants within shopping centers.
4. Home Support Services: Shopping concierge and delivery services for elderly and mobility-impaired customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Heiwado operates a regional supermarket and shopping center chain under the Heiwado, Al Plaza, and Friend Mart brands, selling groceries, fresh foods, daily necessities, clothing, and household goods across approximately 156 stores in 9 Japanese prefectures. The retail offering is complemented by proprietary private brand product lines (E-WA! and Kurashi Moa), the HOP Card and HOP App loyalty ecosystem, an Internet Shop and Net Supermarket home delivery service, and a Home Support shopping concierge for elderly and mobility-limited customers. The company also operates Heiwado Farm for fresh produce sourcing, a Travel Center, and subsidiaries in food processing (Bestone) and restaurant operations (Five Star with COCO'S and Umiza outlets).

Product overview

Heiwado is a regional Japanese retail company operating supermarkets and shopping centers primarily in Shiga Prefecture and surrounding regions. The company offers a unified retail ecosystem comprising proprietary loyalty programs (HOP Card, HOP App), private label brands (E-WA!, Kurashi Moa), and community-focused services (Home Support, Travel Center, Farm). The product portfolio centers on physical retail operations supplemented by digital services including mobile applications and online shopping capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• E-WA!: 平和堂こだわりブランド。環境に配慮した自有品牌商品群。农药・化学肥料30%以上削減の基準をクリアした野菜などのプライベートブランド商品。
• くらしモア
• 循環エコ野菜
• 平和堂財団
• HOPカード
• HOPアプリ
• らぶきっず

Products and services

• HOP Card (HOPカード) Proprietary loyalty and payment card system providing points, discounts, and member services to customers across Heiwado, Al Plaza, and Friend Mart stores.
• HOP App (HOPアプリ) Official Heiwado mobile application providing digital flyer services, point management, and promotional information to shoppers in Heiwado, Al Plaza, and Friend Mart stores.
• Love Kids (らぶきっず) Child-focused membership program that provides support and benefits for families with children shopping at Heiwado stores.
• Home Support Service (ホーム･サポートサービス) Shopping concierge and home delivery service for elderly and mobility-impaired customers who cannot easily visit Heiwado stores.
• Heiwado Travel Center (平和堂旅行センター) Travel agency service offering travel packages and booking services operated by Heiwado for retail customers.
• Heiwado Farm (平和堂ファーム) Agricultural business venture producing fresh produce with JGAP certification for safe and sustainable farming, supplying Heiwado stores.
• E-WA! Private Brand (平和堂こだわりブランド) Heiwado's proprietary brand featuring carefully selected and developed products including fresh produce, meat, and household items, with emphasis on safety, sustainability, and local sourcing.
• Kurashi Moa (くらしモア) Co-developed private brand product line created in collaboration with Nichirio Group, offering quality daily necessities and household items leveraging combined group capabilities.
• Internet Shop (インターネットショップ) Online shopping platform operated by Heiwado for ordering products and gifts, including seasonal campaigns such as summer gift catalogs.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nagahama City Government (長浜市)minorOthers · 1 January 2024Municipal partnership expanding mobile sales vehicle service to Nagahama City for community activation and shopping support.
• Koka City Government (甲賀市)minorOthers · 1 January 2021Municipal partnership for mobile sales vehicle service in Koka City, providing shopping access to areas with limited retail options.
• Heiwado Farm (平和堂ファーム)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Agricultural subsidiary engaging in agri-business with JGAP certified farm operations producing fresh produce for Heiwado stores. Demonstrates vertical integration in fresh food supply chain.
• Heiwado Foundation (公益財団法人 平和堂財団)minorOthers · 1 January 2019Corporate foundation established in 1989 supporting education, culture, and sports development in Shiga Prefecture through grants and donations.
• Shiga Prefecture GovernmentcoreOthers · 1 January 2010Regional collaboration agreement supporting local health, childcare, and community development initiatives. Extended home support services to entire prefecture.
• Five Star Co., Ltd. (株式会社ファイブスター)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFive Star operates COCO'S and Umiza (海座) restaurant chains where HOP Money can be used in Shiga Prefecture locations. Heiwado provides shareholder and customer benefits that can be redeemed at Five Star stores, creating mutual customer value.
• Nichirio Group (ニチリウグループ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development of private brand products under the Kurashi More (くらしモア) brand. Joint product development combining Heiwado's retail expertise with Nichirio Group's sourcing capabilities.
• BlueSticks Shiga (ブルースティックス滋賀)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeiwado serves as a support company for this Shiga-based hockey team, selling official support merchandise with a portion of sales supporting team activities.
• General Incorporated Association 5 A Day (一般법인ファイブ・ア・デイ協会)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed program for food education tours teaching children about vegetable and fruit consumption. Uses standardized educational materials and certified instructors.
• FP Corporation (株式会社エフピコ)coreTechnology or IntegrationTray-to-tray recycling partnership for food tray collection and reprocessing. Collected trays are recycled into new trays for use in Heiwado stores, creating a circular resource economy.
• NPO Aoi Biwako (特定非営利活動法人 碧いびわ湖)minorOthersEnvironmental partner receiving donations from E-WA! environmentally conscious toilet paper sales (12 yen per pack), supporting lake conservation activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aeon Co., Ltd. Japan's largest retail group, operating multi-format supermarkets, hypermarkets and shopping centers (including MaxValu and AEON STYLE). Aeon is Heiwado's largest national competitor with overlapping private-label, loyalty and shopping-center strategies.
• Inageya Co., Ltd. Regional supermarket operator in the Kanto area with a comparable store count, fresh-product orientation and neighborhood-store positioning similar to Heiwado's Friend Mart banners.
• York Benimaru Co., Ltd. Subsidiary of Seven & i Holdings operating 230+ stores across multiple prefectures with a similar mid-size supermarket format, fresh-food focus and store-network scale economics to Heiwado.
• Life Corporation: Osaka-based regional supermarket chain with a comparable multi-format store mix and a strong private-label programme (BIO-RAL), competing head-on with Heiwado in the Kansai market.
• Daiei (Aeon Super Center / former Daiei): Historic Japanese supermarket brand, now primarily operated by MaxValu Tohoku under Aeon. Long-standing national competitor with similar full-line grocery and prepared-food offerings.
• Maruetsu, Inc. Tokyo-area supermarket chain operating comparable mid-size formats with strong prepared-meal and fresh-food assortments, serving a similar everyday-household customer base as Heiwado.
• Izumiya Co., Ltd. Kansai-focused supermarket chain (now under Aeon Group) with overlapping geography and similar community-focused positioning to Heiwado in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo.
• Fuji Co. Regional supermarket chain operating in the Kansai area with comparable store formats and a private-label focus, geographically overlapping Heiwado's core central-Japan markets.
• Yaoko Co., Ltd. Kanto/Koshinetsu supermarket chain particularly noted for premium private-label development and fresh-food focus, mirroring Heiwado's E-WA! brand-led competitive approach.

Broad incumbents

• Seven & i Holdings: Diversified retail holding company whose supermarket subsidiaries (Ito-Yokado, York Benimaru) compete with Heiwado across formats, while its convenience-store and financial-services businesses (7pay, 7Bank) overlap with Heiwado's HOP banking/VISA strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HEIWADOofficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsiYsCUQZ5nTroh2Ksu2tWQ
• Instagramheiwado.jp/otoku/app/menu/instagram

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heiwado