Grand Opening of 'Trial Seiyu Futamatagawa Store', the 3rd Store of the New Format Fusing the Strengths of Trial and Seiyu

ST Retail Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Representative Director: Naoki Deguchi), a subsidiary of Trial Holdings Inc. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Representative Director: Hiroyuki Nagata), will hold the grand opening of 'Trial Seiyu Futamatagawa Store' on Friday, April 24, 2026, marking the 3rd store of a new format that fuses the strengths of both companies.

'Trial Seiyu' is a new business format integrating 'delicious food' and a 'convenient shopping experience.' It pursues an assortment that leverages the strengths of both companies, including a smart shopping experience utilizing IT, Trial's proud private brand (PB) 'Oishikunare!' and Seiyu's popular PB 'Minasama no Osumitsuki'.

Following the 'Trial Seiyu Hanakoganei Store' opened last November and the 'Trial Seiyu Musashi-Shinjo Store' opened this February, the 'Trial Seiyu Futamatagawa Store' is the 3rd store of this new format. Through the introduction of digital technology and quality control know-how, it aims to establish a sustainable low-cost operation. Furthermore, as a retail business originating from Fukuoka, it will also provide products themed around 'Love for Kyushu'.

Additionally, it introduces 'Smart Carts' and 'In-store Signage™', of which approximately 22,700 units are operating across the Trial Group nationwide, providing a new shopping experience as a smart store. 'Trial Seiyu' aims to expand to 30 stores by the fiscal year ending June 2029.

■ What is Trial Seiyu

'Trial Seiyu' is a new format by the Trial Group that converts Seiyu's hypermarket stores by fusing the respective strengths of Trial and Seiyu. In addition to Trial's strength in a smart and efficient shopping experience utilizing IT and Seiyu's strength in urban locations, the companies reflect their commitment to 'delicious food' to aim for the establishment of an urban GMS revitalization model in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

■ Performance of Trial Seiyu Hanakoganei Store

At the first converted store, 'Trial Seiyu Hanakoganei Store', the sales floor area centered on fresh food and deli items was expanded and promotions were strengthened. In addition, by reinforcing customer traffic to the second floor, proposing Kyushu local menus, and utilizing in-store signage, it has successfully created visit motivations and improved customer circulation.

As a result, in the two months following the conversion (December 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026), sales increased significantly by approximately 42% and customer traffic by about 36% compared to the same period the previous year. The business conversion utilizing Trial's know-how is contributing to the improvement of sales floor value and customer attraction at existing Seiyu stores.

- Approx. 42% increase in sales and 36% increase in customer traffic in 2 months after conversion
- Captured 'food' demand through expansion of fresh food and deli items
- Strengthened liquor and beauty sections on the 2nd floor
- Improved shopping experience with signage and Skip Carts

■ Gradual Improvement and Horizontal Expansion through Spillover to Seiyu Model Stores

The initiative fusing the strengths of Trial and Seiyu is also gradually achieving results in several model stores within Seiyu's supermarket format (small and medium-sized stores), centered around 'customer-oriented sales floor creation'.

At the Toyocho Store (Koto-ku, Tokyo) and Hibarigaoka Store (Nishitokyo City, Tokyo), since August 2025, immediately after the management integration, measures such as introducing Trial's famous deli and PB products, reviewing sales floor layouts, and strengthening sales promotions were implemented to improve customer support. As a result, both stores saw improvements in existing store sales and traffic after implementation, turning positive in September, and achieving growth exceeding the overall existing store level in October.

Furthermore, at the Sengawa Store (Chofu City, Tokyo), where demonstration began in December 2025, initiatives have evolved by incorporating successful case studies from the 'Trial Seiyu' format, achieving significant results through measures like strengthening fresh food and deli and optimizing the sales floor.

Under the Trial Group's medium-term management plan, store renovations incorporating elements of the successful model are planned for approximately 60 stores in Seiyu's supermarket format (small and medium-sized stores) over the three years from the fiscal year ending June 2027 to the fiscal year ending June 2029.

Through these initiatives, successful cases proven in model stores will be rolled out across Seiyu to raise the baseline of customer support. We will also continue to verify and brush up the model stores for further growth, advancing the sophistication of our initiatives.

■ About Smart Carts and In-store Signage

Developed by the Trial Group, this is a shopping cart with a self-checkout function equipped with a tablet and a barcode reader. By scanning a Trial-exclusive prepaid card, the cart can be used, and customers can proceed with their shopping while scanning the barcodes of products. The purchase amount is automatically deducted from the prepaid card's balance when passing through the dedicated gate.