After three rounds of rigorous judging, the Shining Stars of the UNIVA AWARDS 2023 have been born! The Shining Stars will compete for the grand prize at the FINAL CONTEST on April 26. Expect great presentations. Please watch the FINAL CONTEST on April 26 at 10:00 a.m. Japan time. Details will be sent by e-mail at a later date.

This month's issue of Marche Corner will be the last. We are currently holding a "Spring Sweets" event! If you haven't tried Uni Marche products yet, please take this opportunity to purchase them. Health & beauty drinks and delicious sweets made without food additives are perfect for new year celebrations and Mother's Day gifts! Let's enjoy spring with a healthy mind and body. "Spring Sweets" runs through May 31. Employees NAKAMA can be purchased at a 15% discount. Now, please watch this month's video.

On February 26, UNIVA Gyro-n (Gyro-n) released "Iittoko," an outing information media. With the cooperation of local media in each region, "Iittoko" will introduce locally loved tourist spots and famous restaurants. The first area covered was the town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. With the cooperation of FM Karuizawa, a UNIVA Oak affiliate, local experts, including staff and personalities from community FM station FM Karuizawa, introduced recommended spots. Created from the unique perspective of a local SEO support company, "Iitoko" aims to bring together travelers who want to put their heart and soul into a place with stores that offer attractive products and services.

UNIVA America, Inc. (UAI), which handles overseas marketing and sales promotion, has won the top prize in the BAR WARE category of the Tableware International Awards of Excellence 2024 sponsored by Tableware International, the world's leading trade magazine for ceramics and porcelain. (UAI) won the top prize in the BAR WARE category of the "Tableware International Awards of Excellence 2024" sponsored by Tableware International, a world-class ceramics industry magazine. The prestigious award from the industry's top magazine was announced with great fanfare within Ambiente in Germany. UAI, which submitted the entry for this Award on behalf of the client, shared with the client the pleasure of fully conveying the appeal of LIN to the judges and readers. UAI will continue to support LIN to increase the number of LIN fans worldwide with this award.

UNIVA Paycast (UPC) has completed the migration from the old payment system it had been providing to the new system, which now offers smoother payment processing and a wider range of functions. Full-scale migration to the new system is expected to expand the possibilities for new service development. We celebrated the new beginning of the full-scale transition by connecting Tokyo and Osaka online over light refreshments. UPC will continue to provide a smoother consumption experience for its users and run daily to create new and comfortable consumption experiences.

UNIVA Oak Holdings (UOH) has underwritten an equity financing of approximately ¥800 million to Matsumoto Corporation, a company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market. Founded 92 years ago, Matsumoto is an industry leader in the field of graduation albums, having produced albums for 7,000 schools nationwide. The company promotes "ambidextrous management," which involves both "deepening" existing businesses and "exploring" new businesses. Matsumoto is pursuing M&A as a strategy for "deepening" existing businesses and "exploring" new businesses: 1) entering the Web3 game market by cultivating its own content and IP (intellectual property), 2) strengthening the domestic and overseas marketing of its NFT marketplace, and 3) social implementation of NFT in a way that leverages Matsumoto's strengths. In order to accelerate them, UOH decided to invest in Matsumoto to support its growth. In order to promote the "value co-creation business," UOH plans to proactively introduce leading business partners and provide support that contributes to increasing the value of portfolio companies while staying close to the companies in which it invests.

With the mission of "leading the entire planet to health," Naturally Plus (NP) has expanded to 130 registered countries! The commemorative 130th country was Senegal. NP's products are used by people in many countries and regions beyond national borders. We will continue our efforts to spread health and smiles to people around the world.

UNIVA Japan (UJP) led joint sales training within the group. A total of 33 young sales and administrative staff from UJP, Univa Paycast, and North Energy gathered in a real-life setting and simultaneously online! The training was divided into three sessions, and participants learned how to use the 3C Frame + Competitive Advantage Matrix, how to utilize the generative AI represented by ChatGPT, and other appropriate perspectives to look at companies in all ways. The first two, on February 22 and March 14, were very exciting, and the last one will be held on April 11. The three companies are already working together on the Horokanai Town project and the Koko Furu project, and this group training will further deepen communication among the three companies and promote more "co-creation" in the future.

On March 1, Naturally Plus Hong Kong (NPHK) hosted its largest annual New Year's dinner. 203 members gathered together to reflect on the past year and share their outlook for the coming year. The four-hour event, which included introductions of new products to be launched this year, campaign winner testimonials, CFC speeches, and a Latin dance show, was filled with laughter and applause, and the audience was energized and enthusiastic. This year, our members and employees will continue to work together to achieve our goals for the current fiscal year.

On March 8, Naturally Plus Japan (NPJP) celebrated its 25th anniversary. On this memorable occasion, many people from all walks of life attended the 25th anniversary event held at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa Hiten. NPJP started in Tokyo with a single product, Super Lutein, and has grown into a global healthcare company with offices in 11 countries/regions and products available in 130 countries. The dedicated efforts of our members are essential to the development of the NP business. On the day of the event, NPJP President Takashi Tajima expressed his gratitude and presented certificates of appreciation to members who have been registered for more than 20 years, to overseas members who have contributed to global expansion, and to those who have registered and achieved Spirit and Summit since the Corona Disaster. NPJP has demonstrated its determination to fulfill its mission to "lead the entire planet to good health" with the goal of becoming a 100-year company.

Last month we welcomed a new NAKAMA Akai.
Ms. Akai, Welcome to the UNIVA Group!