Mammy Mart New Store Managers Complete 'Barrier-Free Mind' Certification; All 91 Store Managers Now Certified

Mammy Mart Co., Ltd.

Based on our group concept 'Enjoy Life!', Mammy Mart has been supporting the Japan Service Dog Association since 2006. Our goal is to create a 'symbiotic society where no one is left behind' by promoting awareness and barrier-free activities to ensure that all customers can enjoy their shopping experience. We will continue to support the association through the acceptance of service dogs in our stores and fundraising initiatives.

Enjoy Life!

Training completed by new store managers and staff from customer-related departments.

■ Purpose
With the objective of 'creating stores where all customers can shop easily,' 22 employees, including new store managers and staff from various headquarters departments, recently took the 'Barrier-Free Mind' certification. This is a Cabinet Office-certified program organized by the Japan Service Dog Association under the 'Service Dog Guide Training Course.' With this, all 91 store managers in the Mammy Mart group have completed the certification. The training focused on the correct understanding of service dogs, appropriate ways to assist customers in need, and deep reflection on how to support people facing daily challenges. Through this course, participants learned to remove mental barriers and embrace the concepts of social inclusion.

■ What is the 'Barrier-Free Mind' Certification? (Source: Japan Service Dog Association)
'Barrier-free of the heart' means that people with various physical and mental characteristics and perspectives strive to deepen their understanding of one another, communicate, and support each other. Spreading this concept throughout society is essential for achieving a true symbiotic society.

The Japan Service Dog Association supports the social participation of individuals with visual, physical, and hearing impairments through service dogs. This certification provides an opportunity to understand the difficulties faced by 'others different from oneself' through direct interaction with service dog users, serving as a catalyst for personal action.

■ Certification Overview
- Understanding mental barriers and the concept of 'Barrier-Free Mind.'
- Building a symbiotic society that includes service dog users and minorities.
- Exploring the 'Social Model of Disability'—where do barriers truly exist?
- Identifying challenges in the workplace and daily life.
- The importance of inclusive acceptance (case studies on accidents involving service dog users).
- Legal frameworks: Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, Act on Assistance Dogs for Physically Disabled Persons, etc.
- Declarations of action.

■ Comment from the President and CEO
Hirofumi Iwasaki, President and CEO
'For Mammy Mart to continue growing, our people are the most critical foundation. Human resource development is a top priority. In a supermarket used by a diverse range of people daily, it is essential to have employees who understand and practice inclusivity. We will continue to advance our training so that all customers, regardless of whether they have a disability, feel that our stores are easy to shop in.'

■ Other Service Dog Awareness Activities
1. Fundraising Box Contest: An annual contest for designing 'Service Dog Wan-Wan Donation Boxes' to support service dog training.
2. Interaction Events: Events held twice a year where customers can meet three types of service dogs (guide, service, and hearing dogs), participate in fundraising, and buy charity goods.

■ Store Formats
Mammy Mart operates 91 stores across the Kanto region, including 55 in Saitama and 23 in Chiba, as well as locations in Tokyo, Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki.
- 'Mammy Mart': Stores tailored closely to local community needs.
- 'Seisen Ichiba TOP!': Fresh food specialty stores that make shopping fun.
- 'Mammy Plus': Value-oriented stores providing additional daily benefits.