[First in Osaka] Student Ideas Hit the Sales Floor! POP Displays Draw Customer Attention at KOHYO Uehommachi Store

Hiraga Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo; President: Keiji Nakamae) has conducted its first sales floor exhibition project in the Osaka area as part of its junior high school workplace experience program, 'MIRAIZ'. From April 22, 2026, promotional character POPs created by students from Osaka City Yuhigaoka Junior High School and Kozu Junior High School were featured at the KOHYO Uehommachi store, operated by Daiei, Inc. By showcasing student ideas on an actual sales floor, this initiative successfully bridged the gap between learning and real-world experience.

*This initiative concluded on May 10, 2026.

- Left: MIRAIZ Vol.08 | Yuhigaoka Junior High School (Kurobuta pork dumplings / cherry tomatoes / avocados)
- Right: MIRAIZ Vol.09 | Kozu Junior High School (Meat shop croquettes / Sukeroku sushi / Five-star tonkatsu / roast beef)

■ Collaboration by Two Schools in Osaka

Two schools participated in this project: Yuhigaoka Junior High School and Kozu Junior High School. Through their workplace experience, the students designed POPs while considering aspects like "how to showcase the store area," "how to convey product appeal," and "from the customer's perspective," which were then set up in the actual sales area.

This project fused the unique freedom of junior high school ideas with actual sales perspectives, creating new excitement and discoveries within the store.

■ Original Characters Active on the "Sales Floor"

Original characters designed by the students were placed in various sections of the store, attracting the attention of customers. These characters were tied to products such as fresh produce (kurobuta pork dumplings, cherry tomatoes, avocados) and side dishes (meat shop croquettes, Sukeroku sushi), realizing a store presentation that combined friendliness with strong promotional power.

◆ MIRAIZ Vol.08 | Yuhigaoka Junior High School: 3 participants (Kurobuta pork dumplings / cherry tomatoes / avocados)
- Chao-Ju (Kurobuta pork dumplings), Little Mato-kun & Puchi Mato-chan (cherry tomatoes), Avorina (avocado)

◆ MIRAIZ Vol.09 | Kozu Junior High School: 4 participants (Meat shop croquettes / Sukeroku sushi / Five-star tonkatsu / roast beef)
- Coromo (meat shop croquettes), Suke-kun & Age-chan (Sukeroku sushi), Bohtetsu Tonkatsu (five-star tonkatsu), Ushisshi-Oh (roast beef)

These displays are expected to have effects such as "making customers pause" and "making products easier to understand," serving as promotional measures that go beyond traditional educational activities.

■ Comment from the Manager of KOHYO Uehommachi Store
"The junior high students' ideas were very free, providing us with hints for new ways to build our sales floor. After installation, we even saw customers pausing and taking photos of the characters."

Through this project, students experienced the valuable process of creating promotional materials while considering the store environment and seeing their ideas implemented in a real store.

■ Exhibition Summary
- Location: KOHYO Uehommachi store (Osaka Prefecture)
- Duration: April 22, 2026 – May 10, 2026 (*Currently concluded)
- Contents: Character POPs and posters created by junior high students

■ About "MIRAIZ"
"MIRAIZ" is a next-generation development and regional collaboration project promoted by our company. It is a program where junior high students engage with companies and stores, learning experientially about "working," "communicating," and "creating value." It is characterized by being more than just a workplace experience, allowing students to realize how their ideas are put to use in society.

■ Future Outlook
We will continue to promote initiatives that realize both next-generation development and retail sales floor value through "MIRAIZ" in cooperation with educational institutions, local regions, and the retail industry. We are also looking into developing the knowledge gained from this project into a new communication method for building retail spaces.