In the spring of 2024, the cherry blossoms seemed to bloom a little later than usual.
This year’s cherry blossoms adapted to the extreme weather fluctuations in February and March and began to bloom all at once in April. Many of us predicted in February, when the weather was warm, that the cherry trees would bloom in early March, but it seems that cherry trees calmly assess changes in the external environment and bloom at the appropriate time. I think this is probably the work of their inner DNA, which they get from being rooted in the ground for many years.Our lifestyles and values have changed considerably. Speed and diversity have become more important, and remote and virtual work has become the norm, while we are also seeing phenomena of “returning to the real” and “returning to the Showa era” with the addition of new values.
There are expressions such as “bird’s eye,” “insect’s eye,” and “fish’s eye,” but I believe that in addition to these, we need something like “cherry blossom’s eye and forest’s eye.” We would like to use it to refer to a kind of knowledge that can only be gained by being there for a long time.Our parent bodies, the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group and the H2O Retailing Group, have been engaged in various businesses mainly in the Umeda, Hanshin, and Hokusetsu areas for 100 years. Through their businesses, they have not only accumulated data, but have also cultivated a climate and culture as important resources over time. Using all these resources, we aim to be a company that can provide a variety of solutions.
Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer Hitoshi Ueda
On December 26, 2024, hhms: will celebrate its 5th birthday.
Thanks to the love and support of many people, our company is growing well. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the clients and business partners with whom we have worked during this period, as well as to our employees.We have had a variety of experiences while struggling with many challenges, and the scope of what we can do has expanded considerably. hhms: is now able to seamlessly provide a wide range of services including branding, digital marketing, creative production, editing, media development, and operations. We have received some very positive comments from our new members, such as “I can work freely,” “I can do various types of work, which broadens my horizons,” and “Being able to complete all work in-house is our strength.” On the other hand, there are also some comments that suggest room for future improvement, such as “The breadth of our services has not been communicated widely,” and “Boosting horizontal collaboration within the company and operational efficiency is still an issue to be addressed.”
This fiscal year we will strive to hone our ability to break through any obstacles and tough times in order to fulfill our role over the next five years. We will hold discussions involving all employees on how hhms: can be more useful in the future, and work to create an environment that focuses on enabling all our employees to demonstrate their imagination and creativity as well as their ability to take action in order to realize our envisioned future state. As a value co-creation organization that places the highest value on consideration for others and cooperation across internal and external boundaries, we aim to make hhms: a company where the circle of communication keeps expanding, with members saying to each other, “It was great and fun to work together. Let’s do something interesting again!” We look forward to your continued support this fiscal year.
Representative Director, Executive Vice President Akihiro Miyatake