History

1959

Established World Co., Ltd., wholesaler of women’s knit sweaters, Kobe, with ¥2 million in capital. Mamoru Kiguchi assumed the position of President with Hirotoshi Hatasaki serving as Managing Director.

1965

Established Tokyo branch for business expansion.

1967

Developed the WORLD COORDINATE, a brand for total coordination as opposed to knitted garments as a single item.

1968

Moved the Head Office to the company’s new building, constructed in Sannomiya, Kobe.

1970

Introduced the “Only Shop” system: wholesale shops consisting exclusively of World’s merchandise, developing a sales strategy that takes advantage of its characteristic as fully coordinated brands.

1971

Completed the Tokyo Branch building in Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

1972

Appointed Hirotoshi Hatasaki as President.

1975

Launched the second brand for total coordination, Lui Chantant.

Started “World of Elegance,” an FM radio program (continued until 1992), and announced “Love World” as its theme song.

Opened LIZA, as an “antenna shop,” for directly gathering market information and discerning customer needs, and expanded our business into the retail field.

1976

Launched ville d’azur and started the sales of fabric wear products.

Started “World of Elegance,” an FM radio program (continued until 1992), and announced “Love World” as its theme song.

1978

Contributed ¥2 billion to the city of Kobe to commemorate the company’s 20th anniversary. (The city applied the funds toward the completion of the World Hall, a multi-purpose facility, in 1984.)

1980

Established a subsidiary that undertakes production management, development, and trade operation of textile materials; expanded into a textile trading business.

1982

Opened GINZA LIZA in Ginza, Tokyo, as the shop that most exemplifies the image of the World Group.

1984

Moved the Head Office to the company’s new building in Kobe (Port Island).

Established a rugby football club, World Fighting Bull, to encourage the unity and inflame the pride among all World Group employees. (Club suspended as of end March 2009)

Introduced the TAKEO KIKUCHI brand by Mr. Takeo Kikuchi

Established Le Monde Des Gourmet Inc., in order to enter the restaurant and cafe businesses. (All the stocks transferred in 2012)

1987

Established a joint venture in Shanghai, and started production and sales in China, marking the beginning of our business expansion in the Asian markets. a joint venture in Shanghai, and started production and sales in China,

1988

Established World Taiwan Fashion Co., Ltd., in Taipei, and started sales in Taiwan.

1992

Announced the SPARCS Concept, our medium-term business plan.

1993

Launched OZOC as our first SPA brand using the Department Store SPA business model, and started full-fledged development of our retail business.

1995

Launched UNTITLED as our second SPA brand

Damage from the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake led to the demolition of the company’s building in Sannomiya, Kobe.

Launched the select shop business by opening the aquagirl store in Daikanyama, Tokyo.

• Launched UNTITLED as our second SPA brand
• Damage from the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake led to the demolition of the company’s building in Sannomiya, Kobe.
• Launched the select shop business by opening the aquagirl store in Daikanyama, Tokyo.

1996

Opened an INDEX store in front of a Shibuya station ticket gate, marking the start of the brand’s in-station store development.

1997

Appointed Hidezo Terai as President.

1998

Opened ITS’DEMO, a store offering assorted categories of merchandise, including apparel, fashion accessories, and cosmetics.

• Listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

1999

• Introduced the executive officer system and WEL (World Entrepreneur Leader) to accelerate decision-making and clarify business responsibility.
• Transferred listing to the First Sections of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange.

2000

• Launched the HUSHUSH brand targeting young families and began opening stores in shopping centers.
• Announced World Production Partners (WP²) concept as part of our production operation innovation and formed system synchronizing retail outlets, development and production, and factories.
• Established World Store Partners Co., Ltd. to reorganize sales and strengthen sales operations.

2001

Established World Korea Co., Ltd. to launch sales in Korea.

2002

• Entered the Direct Marketing Business.
• Exceeded ¥200 billion in annual sales (as of March 31, 2002).
• Established a local company in Beijing, China to strengthen sales operations in the country.

2004

Opened FLAXUS stores for suburban shopping centers and began expanding the Store Business Model.
Established World Business Support Co., Ltd., which received approval as a special subsidiary in 2004, in order to start various administrative services for World Group companies.

2005

• Implemented a management buyout (MBO) making World a private company to achieve our goal of continually maximizing corporate value.
• Added Prime Cast Co., Ltd., (currently World Production Partners Co., Ltd.) a textile trading company, as a Group company.
• Entered the interior and home fashion businesses.

2006

• Implemented a management buyout (MBO) making World a private company to achieve our goal of continually maximizing corporate value.
• Added Prime Cast Co., Ltd., (currently World Production Partners Co., Ltd.) a textile trading company, as a Group company.
• Opened a brand assortment store SHOO・LA・RUE to strengthen the Store business.

2007

• Exceeded ¥300 billion in annual sales (as of March 31, 2007).
• Changed name of Prime Cast Co., Ltd., a core WP² concept company, to World Production Partners Co., Ltd. (abbreviated company name: WP2). In addition, established WP2 (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd. as a manufacturing base company in China.
• Completed construction of WORLD Kita-Aoyama Building in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

2008

Added Sembommatsu Dyeing Works Co., Ltd., which handles fabric and thread dyeing and processing, as a Group company, to further bolster innovation in our production operations. (In May 2011, the company was renamed as World Industry Toyama Co., Ltd.)

2009

• Marked our 50th anniversary on January 13.
• Established Whole Factory Co., Ltd. (currently World Industry Knit Co., Ltd.) to strengthen the knitwear business.
• Launched the World Ecoromo Campaign, our initiative of accepting unneeded clothing from customers.

2010

• WSP Role Playing Contest held at sales subsidiary World Store Partners Co., Ltd. to improve customer service. (The name of this event was changed in 2014 to the TOP of the WORLD—WSP Award—which is given to staff with excellent skills of customer hospitality and sales services.)
• Consolidated our office functions in Tokyo into WORLD Minami-Aoyama Bldg. and WORLD Kita-Aoyama Bldg.
• Launched the World Premium Club, which can be used both at World’s directly managed stores and at its online shops.

2011

• Donated 100 million yen to support the reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake, and provided relief supplies for those affected by the disaster, such as cold weather protection clothing and underwear with a thermal function.
• Founded Fashion-Co-Lab. Co., Ltd. to establish a new EC platform business.
• Established World Franchise Systems Co., Ltd. to develop a franchise of the store business model.
• Earned the “Kurumin Mark,” a certification in recognition of its role as a support company for developing the next generation.

2012

• Received Mr. Takeo Kikuchi again as the creative director of TAKEO KIKUCHI. Opened the brand’s new flagship store on the Shibuya-Meiji Street to enable customers to realize the brand’s concept.

2013

World Production Partners Co., Ltd. certified by the Kobe Customs as an Authorized Importer under the AEO system.

2014

• Added KaysWay Co., Ltd., as a Group company, and thereby strengthened the intimate apparel business.
• Reorganized group companies engaged in knit items production into one company in order to further enhance the product development function, and named the company World Industry Knit Co., Ltd.

2015

• Added Senwa Co., Ltd., a jersey fabric manufacturing company, as a Group company to strengthen our domestic manufacturing base.
• Appointed Kenji Kamiyama as President.
• Adopted the IFRS international accounting standards.
• All of the World Group’s 7 companies and 10 factories in Japan obtained the J∞QUALITY certification for genuine made-in-Japan products.

2016

• As an initiative to nurture the next generation, World became a partner corporation of the GOOD JOB ATTRACTIONS, a new attraction area at Yomiuri Land that provides visitors with opportunities to experience monozukuri (manufacturing).
• Established a joint venture with the SAHA GROUP, a leading conglomerate in Thailand, to expand the TAKEO KIKUCHI brand in the country.
• Began operations at the World Distribution Center, a new logistics facility in Minami Funabashi, Chiba.

2017

• Made the transition to a holding company structure on April 1, with World Co., Ltd. as the operating holding company.
• Established the fund management company W&D Investment Design Co., Ltd. with the Development Bank of Japan Inc. and jointly set up the W&D Design Fund, which specializes in the fashion business.
• Established Fastech & Solutions Co., Ltd. in a joint venture with Future Corporation to provide consulting services toward resolving the management challenges of corporate clients through a one-stop offering of the knowledge and mechanisms effective in the fashion business.
• Bolstered the Group’s lifestyle business with the addition of ASPLUND Co., Ltd., a company engaged in the import, sales, and wholesale of furniture and household goods.

2018

• Concluded a capital and business alliance with Omnis Inc., which provides a fashion rental service, and also added Tin Pan Alley Co., Ltd., which operates used-clothing select shops, to the World Group in order to expand into the business domain of secondary distribution.
• Concluded a capital and business alliance with Campfire Co., Ltd., which operates the Campfire cloud funding platform.
• Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in September 28.

2019

平成31年

• Established FASBEE Inc. jointly with subsidiary Fashion-Co-Lab. Co., Ltd. and BEENOS Inc. for the management of international e-commerce services centered on fashion.
• Through the W&D Design Limited Partnership, added HIROFU Co., Ltd. as a Group company specializing in high-quality leather products.
• Acquired shares in Narumiya International Co., Ltd., a core company in the fashion market for children and teens.
• Added Original, Inc. (U.S.A.), which operates the custom shirt brand Original Stitch, as a Group company and expanded the customization and sizing platform.
• Added Kobe Leather Cloth Co., Ltd., a general trading company of shoes, as a Group company.