ITOCHU Announces Provision of HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI Group Inc. Insurance Consultation Service at WECARS stores.

July 31, 2024

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it began offering an insurance consultation service (hereinafter the "Service") at used car sales stores operated by WECARS Co. Ltd. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Shinjiro Tanaka, President & CEO; hereinafter "WECARS"). The Service will be provided through HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI Group Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Reiji Inomata, President & CEO; hereinafter "HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI"), a subsidiary of ITOCHU.

Via the Service, customers who visit WECAR stores are provided with comparative proposals that HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI recommends based on the customer-oriented business operations it has been conducting for a number of years, Through this, customers are supported in their choosing the insurance that meets their intentions. The Service will be clearly separated from the car sales conducted by WECARS and provided by HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI as an insurance agent.
Specifically, HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI will install an internet-connected shop (a dedicated booth and internet-connected computer) in each WECARS store where the Service is provided. In addition, some stores will open a staffed HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI shop and staff will provide the Service face-to-face. Through this initiative, efforts will be made to realize the seamless provision of services at the WECARS stores and improve customer convenience.

Initially, internet-connected shops will be gradually installed at 19 WECARS stores in time with the start of the Service. In addition, one staffed shop is scheduled to be opened at a WECARS store. In the future, the goal is for the Service to be provided at all WECARS sales stores.

WECAR stores where the Service is planned to be provided (initially)

Internet-connected shops (19 stores) Chiba, Maebashi, Natori, Hamamatsu Minami, Nonoichi, Nagoyachaya, Fukaebashi, Kobe Tarumi, Wakayama, Nishikinohama, Okayama, Ube, Takamatsu, Saijo, Nishifukuoka, Yahata, Tarami, Oita Shimogori and Kasuga
Staffed shop (one store) Tama

ITOCHU believes that this initiative will present a new way of selling insurance at automobile dealers in the form of providing customers with insurance services through a collaboration between large-scale automobile dealers and dedicated insurance agents. Through this initiative, ITOCHU will work to realize the ITOCHU Group's Sampo Yoshi corporate philosophy (good for the seller, the buyer and society).

[Attachment]
Collaboration scheme

Conceptual image of an internet-connected shop

Conceptual image of a staffed shop

Overview of HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI Group Inc.

Company name HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI Group Inc.
Representative Reiji Inomata
Headquarters 20F TEKKO BUILDING, 1-8-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established April 1995
Capital 0.5 billion yen
Main business Insurance agency (life insurance and non-life insurance), operation of the HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI insurance shops, provision of support in the operation of partners and affiliated shops, and a financial product intermediary business
Number of shops
(As of May 31, 2024)
706 shops (including 466 directly managed shops, 187 partner shops and 53 shops at affiliated banks)
URL https://www.hokennomadoguchi.com/

HOKEN NO MADOGUCHI operates retail-style insurance shops, where customers can consult about insurance at no charge as many times as they desire. Insurance professionals provide support in choosing insurance according to the information that each customer desires to learn, such as key points for choosing insurance and the differences between the insurance products offered by each company. Customers can choose insurance products together with professionals trained under a thorough education and training system while comparing products offered by multiple insurance companies.

Overview of WECARS Co. Ltd.

Company name WECARS Co. Ltd.
Representative Shinjiro Tanaka
Headquarters 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established January 2024
Capital 18.75 billion yen
Main business Sale of used and new domestic and foreign cars, purchase of vehicles, vehicle inspection, general maintenance and autobody painting services