Nishitetsu Store Introduces Cloud Camera 'Safie One' for Mother-Satellite Store Operations

Safie Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO & President, Ryuhei Sadojima; hereinafter 'Safie'), Japan's No.1 provider of cloud recording services (※1), announces that Nishitetsu Store Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; President & CEO: Toshiyuki Kubota; hereinafter 'Nishitetsu Store') has introduced the cloud camera 'Safie One' into its 'mother-satellite store operation' (hereinafter 'satellite operation').

Nishitetsu Store, led by its newly established 'Center & Satellite System Department' in April 2025, officially launched its satellite operation in August of the same year. This system enhances sales efficiency by having larger 'mother stores' supply goods to smaller 'satellite stores.' The operation is being piloted at Reganet Minaminagasu (mother store) and Reganet Marche Nagasu (satellite store). Safie One cameras have been installed in the prepared food and fresh produce sections of the satellite store, allowing the mother store to monitor real-time sales floor conditions via video. This enables more accurate and appropriate product supply decisions based on actual in-store dynamics that cannot be captured by POS and other sales data alone.

【Summary of this Release】

Nishitetsu Store, a supermarket chain operating in Fukuoka Prefecture, has officially launched its 'mother-satellite store operation' to improve satellite store efficiency through centralized supply from mother stores. The cloud camera 'Safie One' has been deployed at the pilot stores: Reganet Minaminagasu (mother store) and Reganet Marche Nagasu (satellite store).

Department chiefs at the mother store (prepared foods, fresh produce) now use video footage from Safie One cameras to assess real-time conditions at the satellite store—information not fully captured by POS and sales data—enabling accurate decisions on product supply volume and timing.

By consolidating store management (one manager for two stores) and centralizing satellite store tasks (e.g., prepared food production, produce cutting) at the mother store, total labor hours across both stores have been reduced. At the same time, combined sales have increased year-on-year, including in the prepared food category (※2). This demonstrates simultaneous achievement of cost reduction and sales/profit growth.

As a new retail operation model that supports both the sustainability of small-scale local stores as community infrastructure and improved productivity, Nishitetsu Store plans to expand this system to other stores and explore applications in mobile sales vehicles.

Background and Challenges

Operating 'satellite stores' that are out of direct sight from the mother store—making accurate supply decisions based on data alone difficult

Amid declining populations, aging demographics, and labor shortages, small and mid-sized supermarkets in regional areas face structural challenges: stores with low sales volume and limited product variety risk losing customers, threatening their very survival. At the same time, these stores serve as essential community infrastructure, making simple closures socially impactful—a major dilemma.

To address this, Nishitetsu Store focused on the 'mother-satellite store operation,' where a large, operationally capable 'mother store' supplies goods to nearby small 'satellite stores.' While referencing successful cases from other companies, the biggest operational hurdle was the difficulty of monitoring satellite store conditions from either the mother store or headquarters. Staff from the mother store had to physically visit the satellite store to assess conditions, creating inefficiencies in manpower, time, and cost. Meanwhile, sales data from POS systems could reveal 'what sold and how much,' but not 'what the sales floor currently looks like' or 'whether higher sales were possible.' Relying solely on data proved insufficient for determining appropriate supply volumes to satellite stores—this was the fundamental challenge determining the success or failure of the satellite operation.

Under the principle of 'not a trial project, but a serious commitment with a dedicated department,' the company established the Center & Satellite System Department in April 2025. With the goal of solving these challenges and driving sales growth, the satellite operation was launched in August 2025—just four months after initial planning, an unusually fast pace.

(Left) Mother store 'Reganet Minaminagasu' / (Right) Satellite store 'Reganet Marche Nagasu'

Initiative

Making satellite store sales floors visible via 'video'

Reganet Minaminagasu (mother store) and Reganet Marche Nagasu (satellite store) are approximately 800 meters apart, about a 2-minute drive. One 'Safie One' camera has been installed in each of the satellite store’s prepared food and fresh produce sections.

Under the satellite operation, in-store prepared food production (bento boxes, rice bowls, onigiri, etc.) and fresh produce cutting previously done at the satellite store have been discontinued and replaced with supply from the mother store. Department chiefs at the mother store (prepared foods, fresh produce) refer to POS data while also using video footage from the cloud cameras to assess real-time conditions at the satellite store—conditions not fully visible through sales data alone. They use this combined insight to determine supply volume and timing based on actual product movement and sales floor vitality.

<Main Use Cases in Store Operations>

- Prepared food section: The prepared food chief checks post-peak sales conditions to determine subsequent supply volume.

- Fresh produce section: Staff check the sales floor before and during evening peak hours to optimize restocking timing for cut vegetables, etc.

This enables the capture of intangible yet critical information—such as 'liveliness' and 'atmosphere'—that only video can provide, such as 'this product could have sold more if restocked at the right time.'

Additionally, department heads like Mr. Kamachi use the footage at key moments—such as seasonal transitions or weekly meetings—to support the advancement of the satellite operation and on-site assistance.

<Key Factors in Selecting 'Safie One'>

Nishitetsu Store evaluated multiple camera services before making a decision. The following factors were decisive in selecting Safie:

- Cost: Reasonable initial and operational costs, especially when deploying multiple units

- Mobility: Convenience of checking store conditions from smartphones, even while on the move, not just from PCs

- Ease of installation: Simple setup by on-site staff, even for precision equipment, with immediate connectivity

- Video quality: Fast video loading, clear image quality even when zoomed, and smooth playback

Safie One installed in the fresh produce section

Main Effects of Implementation

Simultaneously achieving 'cost reduction' and 'sales growth,' significantly improving profitability

Leveraging video insights, the operation has evolved to better match actual demand—for example, increasing daily deliveries in the fresh produce category by one per day.

The satellite operation consolidates management (one store manager for two stores) and centralizes tasks previously performed at the satellite store (e.g., prepared food production, produce cutting) at the mother store, resulting in significant labor and operational efficiency. As a result, total labor hours across both stores have been reduced (※2).

Typically, such lean staffing and efficiency measures carry the risk of reduced sales. However, Nishitetsu Store successfully achieved real sales and gross profit growth—without increasing staff or relying on price hikes—by using Safie One to visually confirm satellite store conditions beyond what sales data alone can reveal, then making appropriate supply decisions.

Total sales across both stores: Increased year-on-year (※2)

Prepared food category sales: Increased year-on-year (※2)

Total labor hours across both stores: Reduced year-on-year (※2)

Prepared foods, in particular, serve the 'mid-priced meal' demand that supports customers’ dining tables and are a critical sales area that greatly influences customer satisfaction in supermarkets. The mother