On April 1, the Distribution Business School Launches a New "Subscription Course Service" to Reduce On-Site Educational Burdens and Support Reskilling and Advanced Practical Skills in the Distribution and Retail Industry

The Distribution Economics Institute of Japan (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Hirotaka Kato) will launch a new corporate "Subscription Course Service" for the various programs offered by its human resource development division, the "Distribution Business School," effective April 1, 2026.

Manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers are currently facing a need for the systematic acquisition of professional skills directly linked to practical work, such as strengthening sales floor proposal capabilities, improving data utilization, and advancing negotiation skills. However, there are challenges in conducting group training sessions due to difficulties in coordinating schedules and the resulting operational burden.

While the Distribution Business School has previously offered on-demand courses, there has been feedback that individual enrollment models make it difficult to design comprehensive educational investments or ensure continuous utilization. Therefore, this new service provides a flat-rate system for corporations to access multiple courses, enabling planned and continuous employee development. It supports the design of systematic learning within companies and the establishment of a common professional language across departments.

This service offers nine practical courses in video (on-demand) format. The content is based on the knowledge accumulated by our institute through over 60 years of research and practical support. The goal is to go beyond mere terminology and help learners acquire practical skills that lead to on-site results, such as store improvements, increased proposal accuracy, and the utilization of data analysis.

By introducing this service, corporations can efficiently accelerate the onboarding of transferred and mid-career employees, raise the baseline of fundamental skills from junior to mid-level staff, and strengthen the proposal capabilities of sales and marketing departments. Furthermore, for groups of five or more, the cost per person is lower compared to traditional individual on-demand course enrollment (*1).

Since 2007, more than 5,700 people (*2) from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and industry associations have taken courses at the Distribution Business School. Instructors consist of research staff, university professors, and industry experts, with 94.2% (*3) of participants rating the content as "easy to understand."

(*1) Comparison with individual enrollment in the 9 existing on-demand courses. (*2) (*3) As of January 2026.

[Subscription Course Service Details](https://www.dei.or.jp/school/kouza_subsc.php) [Click here for details on the Distribution Business School](https://www.dei.or.jp/school/)

Overview Service Name: Subscription Course Service Launch Date: April 1, 2026 Target Courses (9 total): 1. Retail Industry Fundamentals Course 2. Negotiation Skills Enhancement Course 3. In-Store Merchandising Fundamentals Course 4. In-Store Promotion Planning Fundamentals Course 5. Shelf Management (Planogram) Fundamentals Course 6. Store and Sales Floor Observation Skills Development Course 7. POS Data Analysis and Utilization Fundamentals Course 8. ID-POS Data Utilization Course (Basic) 9. ID-POS Data Utilization Course (Advanced)

Usage Fees (General Corporations): (Annual) *Contract period is one year. The contract does not automatically renew after the period expires. For continued use, a new contract procedure is required. - 5–9 people: 100,000 yen per person (excluding tax) - 10–19 people: 90,000 yen per person (excluding tax) - 20 or more people: 80,000 yen per person (excluding tax)

How to Apply: Please apply via the application page at the URL below. https://www.dei.or.jp/school/kouza_subsc.php

<Usage Scenarios for the Subscription Course Service> 1. For the rapid onboarding of transferred and mid-career employees. 2. For raising the baseline of fundamental skills and establishing a common language for junior to mid-level employees. 3. For building a learning design that is sustainable even in busy work environments. 4. As a supplementary tool for group training and OJT. 5. For optimizing educational costs and clarifying return on investment.

<Combining Subscriptions with In-Person Group Training> The Distribution Business School also accepts requests for combinations, customizations, and the development of new curricula based on the specific needs, circumstances, and target audiences of individual companies. It is possible to design a program where the subscription courses (on-demand) serve as the "foundation for common language and basic knowledge," followed by separate in-person group training sessions for case studies, application to company-specific issues, and presentations, thereby connecting learning to deeper understanding and behavioral change (on-site implementation).

(Example of Training Design) Target: Approx. 30 people Kick-off (1 day): Motivation / Proposal of video viewing order and priorities / Sharing goals and the big picture Video Viewing Period: 3 months to 6 months (designed according to the participants' work schedules) Group Training: 2 days x 3 sets First 2 sets: Issue setting, case study, presentation preparation (participants may bring their own company data or sales floor issues) Final set: Presentation, mutual feedback, and review (creating action plans for on-site implementation)

For more details on the Distribution Business School, please visit here: https://www.dei.or.jp/school/

About the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan The Distribution Economics Institute of Japan was originally established as a voluntary organization in March 1963. It was reorganized into a foundation in October 1966 under the guidance of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), and on April 1, 2013, it made a fresh start as a "Public Interest Incorporated Foundation." Since its establishment, it has contributed to the balanced development of the Japanese and global economies by improving distribution and marketing through research, information gathering and dissemination, public awareness, and human resource development.