History of Hardoff, Niibata City, Niigata Prefecture - 1990s to 2020s

History of Hardoff, Niibata City, Niigata Prefecture - 1990s to 2020s

1990s: Founding and Building a Foundation - 1993, Shibata, Niigata
In 1993, Hard-Off Corporation was founded in the city of Shibata, Niigata Prefecture. At the time, recycling and environmental awareness were beginning to grow in Japan, and the company's core business was the purchase and sale of used home appliances and audio equipment. With the involvement of local residents, the company achieved rapid growth, achieving annual sales of over 1 billion yen from its early days.

2000s: Nationwide Expansion and Listing - JASDAQ Market in November 2000
Listing on the JASDAQ market in November 2000 strengthened the company's brand and financial strength. In the five years since listing, the company has grown to operate more than 400 stores nationwide. The company also added new formats such as "Off-House" and "Mode-Off," and entered the reuse market for clothing, furniture, and household goods. In 2001, when the Home Appliance Recycling Law came into effect, we established a system to collect and resell approximately 100,000 units of home appliances annually.

2010s: Overseas Expansion and Expansion of Specialty Stores - 2014: Overseas Expansion Begins
In 2014, Hard Off began global expansion in the reuse market by entering the U.S. and Taiwan; by 2019, the company had more than 800 stores in Japan, establishing itself as a leader in the reuse market. The company also developed business categories such as "audio salons" specializing in audio equipment and "musical instrument studios" specializing in musical instruments to meet the diverse needs of consumers. The musical instrument division, in particular, has grown to handle more than 500,000 items annually.

2020s: Contribution to the Local Economy and Innovation - 2023 Niigata City
In the 2020s, the company opened the PC Pavilion and Tool Pavilion in Niigata City to meet the demand of DIY users and professionals. The company handles more than 30,000 used PCs per year and is committed to improving the quality of its services, including the introduction of dedicated erasure software to protect personal information. in 2023, the company participated in the establishment of the Niigata Venture Association (NVA) and established a cooperative framework to support start-ups and revitalize the local economy. In addition, to reduce our environmental impact, we have established a system to reuse more than 1 million products annually.

Hard-Off continues to evolve as a company that both builds a sustainable society through recycling and contributes to the local economy. The company expects to continue to expand its business both domestically and internationally while responding to diversifying consumer needs.