Joycal Japan, with 566 Stores Nationwide, Holds Joint Training "Spring JAM 20.5th" for Franchisees
Joycal Japan held its joint training "Spring JAM 20.5th" for franchisees nationwide. The company announced its new product "Ikkers," strategic shifts for its main service "Seven Max," and the "Mobility Queens" project involving female staff, aiming for a revenue model independent of discounts and entry into untapped markets.
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- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 10:31
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Joycal Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director and CEO: Yukio Hayakawa, hereinafter: Joycal Japan) held its largest joint training event for nationwide franchise partners in the first half of the year, "Spring JAM (Joycal Alliance Meeting) 20.5th."
This event, where the Joycal Group, with its network of 566 stores nationwide (as of April 1, 2026), shares its second-half strategy, new product trends, and solutions to industry challenges with its franchisees, is more than just an information dissemination platform. It functions as a direct, on-site strategy-sharing forum where partners nationwide discuss what needs to be done in response to two structural changes: "a market environment where discounts cannot be relied upon" and "an era where businesses close due to lack of successors even if profitable."
▼ "Spring JAM 20.5th" Digest Video｜https://youtu.be/CVdsBKLSRkA?si=YD-Dqje-FGVpEQME
■ Event Overview
Item | Content
---|---
Event Name | Spring JAM 20.5th (Joycal Alliance Meeting)
Format | Online distribution
Date | Thursday, April 23, 2026
Organizer | Joycal Japan Co., Ltd.
Participants | Nationwide franchise partners
■ Program Overview
The event began with opening remarks by Chairman Nakamura, followed by CEO Hayakawa's announcement of the second-half activity policy. Subsequently, five key theme sessions were held.
1. Second-Half Activity Policy | Transition to a New Revenue Model "Not Relying on Discounts" | Yukio Hayakawa, Representative Director and CEO
In the second-half activity policy presented by CEO Hayakawa, insights from the 9th year of the flagship service "Seven Max" and a strategic shift centered on the new product "Ikkers" were announced.
"Seven Max" has maintained approximately 480-500 operating stores and has grown to 15,376 annual applications (8th year). It will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026. The contract format has also evolved from the traditional 7-year plan to options of 3, 5, or 7 years at the same price, expanding the range of proposals tailored to customer lifestyles.
Meanwhile, a major theme for this term is the full-scale entry into the "largest untapped market" of cash-purchase buyers. Despite 56.6% of new car buyers and approximately 68% of used car buyers being cash purchasers, the share of car leasing and subscriptions remains less than 10%.
A proprietary customer survey conducted in April 2026 revealed the actual situation of customers who purchased new cars with cash. Approximately 70% of customers owned their cars for 5 years or more, and over half for 7 years or more. Furthermore, over 70% of long-term owners responded that "maintenance costs are a burden." A more important finding was that only 2.2% of customers chose cash purchase because they "wanted to own." The true intentions of cash buyers were "don't want to pay interest," "want to avoid hassle," and "want to rationalize expenses."
Based on these survey results, Joycal analyzed that "cash customers are not an unshakeable segment; there is significant room for them to be interested in leasing depending on comparative proposals." The new product "Ikkers" for cash-purchase buyers was positioned as a new "entry product" in on-site negotiations. "Ikkers" is designed with 3 years of maintenance costs included, credit card payment support, and lump-sum settlement at the time of contract, and more than half of the surveyed cash-purchase experienced customers showed interest.
Furthermore, 10 years after the release of Seven Max, the manifestation of "replacement demand" is accelerating. It is estimated that approximately 12,500 vehicles eligible for replacement will exist across all stores by June 30, 2028. The headquarters positions this as a major source of profit and plans to strengthen continuous replacement promotion measures.
2. Mobility Queens | They are the ones who will drive Joycal next | Masato Takahashi, FC Business & Partner Sales Department
"Mobility Queens" is a unique Joycal project referring to female staff who lead new car lease (Seven Max) sales at Joycal franchisees nationwide. They handle a wide range of tasks, including sales, purchasing, vehicle inspection front desk, and insurance response. With their customer relationship building and careful proposal style from a female perspective, they have achieved solid results in various regions and are now becoming Joycal's new growth engine.
In this session, Masato Takahashi of the FC Business & Partner Sales Department served as moderator, and female staff from 7 stores nationwide presented their sales performance and negotiation know-how from the past six months (October 2025 to March 2026).
A common theme that emerged was how to address customer resistance to leasing. Key insights from the female staff's consumer perspective included "proposing to secure funds on hand based on future household events," "value transformation from ownership to usage, likened to smartphone subscriptions," and "proactive explanation of total loss risk unique to snowy regions."
This event, where the Joycal Group, with its network of 566 stores nationwide (as of April 1, 2026), shares its second-half strategy, new product trends, and solutions to industry challenges with its franchisees, is more than just an information dissemination platform. It functions as a direct, on-site strategy-sharing forum where partners nationwide discuss what needs to be done in response to two structural changes: "a market environment where discounts cannot be relied upon" and "an era where businesses close due to lack of successors even if profitable."
▼ "Spring JAM 20.5th" Digest Video｜https://youtu.be/CVdsBKLSRkA?si=YD-Dqje-FGVpEQME
■ Event Overview
Item | Content
---|---
Event Name | Spring JAM 20.5th (Joycal Alliance Meeting)
Format | Online distribution
Date | Thursday, April 23, 2026
Organizer | Joycal Japan Co., Ltd.
Participants | Nationwide franchise partners
■ Program Overview
The event began with opening remarks by Chairman Nakamura, followed by CEO Hayakawa's announcement of the second-half activity policy. Subsequently, five key theme sessions were held.
1. Second-Half Activity Policy | Transition to a New Revenue Model "Not Relying on Discounts" | Yukio Hayakawa, Representative Director and CEO
In the second-half activity policy presented by CEO Hayakawa, insights from the 9th year of the flagship service "Seven Max" and a strategic shift centered on the new product "Ikkers" were announced.
"Seven Max" has maintained approximately 480-500 operating stores and has grown to 15,376 annual applications (8th year). It will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026. The contract format has also evolved from the traditional 7-year plan to options of 3, 5, or 7 years at the same price, expanding the range of proposals tailored to customer lifestyles.
Meanwhile, a major theme for this term is the full-scale entry into the "largest untapped market" of cash-purchase buyers. Despite 56.6% of new car buyers and approximately 68% of used car buyers being cash purchasers, the share of car leasing and subscriptions remains less than 10%.
A proprietary customer survey conducted in April 2026 revealed the actual situation of customers who purchased new cars with cash. Approximately 70% of customers owned their cars for 5 years or more, and over half for 7 years or more. Furthermore, over 70% of long-term owners responded that "maintenance costs are a burden." A more important finding was that only 2.2% of customers chose cash purchase because they "wanted to own." The true intentions of cash buyers were "don't want to pay interest," "want to avoid hassle," and "want to rationalize expenses."
Based on these survey results, Joycal analyzed that "cash customers are not an unshakeable segment; there is significant room for them to be interested in leasing depending on comparative proposals." The new product "Ikkers" for cash-purchase buyers was positioned as a new "entry product" in on-site negotiations. "Ikkers" is designed with 3 years of maintenance costs included, credit card payment support, and lump-sum settlement at the time of contract, and more than half of the surveyed cash-purchase experienced customers showed interest.
Furthermore, 10 years after the release of Seven Max, the manifestation of "replacement demand" is accelerating. It is estimated that approximately 12,500 vehicles eligible for replacement will exist across all stores by June 30, 2028. The headquarters positions this as a major source of profit and plans to strengthen continuous replacement promotion measures.
2. Mobility Queens | They are the ones who will drive Joycal next | Masato Takahashi, FC Business & Partner Sales Department
"Mobility Queens" is a unique Joycal project referring to female staff who lead new car lease (Seven Max) sales at Joycal franchisees nationwide. They handle a wide range of tasks, including sales, purchasing, vehicle inspection front desk, and insurance response. With their customer relationship building and careful proposal style from a female perspective, they have achieved solid results in various regions and are now becoming Joycal's new growth engine.
In this session, Masato Takahashi of the FC Business & Partner Sales Department served as moderator, and female staff from 7 stores nationwide presented their sales performance and negotiation know-how from the past six months (October 2025 to March 2026).
A common theme that emerged was how to address customer resistance to leasing. Key insights from the female staff's consumer perspective included "proposing to secure funds on hand based on future household events," "value transformation from ownership to usage, likened to smartphone subscriptions," and "proactive explanation of total loss risk unique to snowy regions."