The Rapport Hair Group Co., Ltd. (hereafter Rapport Hair), headquartered in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi prefecture and The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation (hereafter “the Foundation”) signed a formal agreement on November 22nd under which the Foundation will provide financial support to Rapport Hair. The Ishinomaki area was one of the most affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March, 2011, where over 200 beauty salons were destroyed, leaving a large number of beauty professionals without employment. In an effort to help return stability to the daily lives of Ishinomaki area residents, Rapport Hair aims to make use of the support from the Foundation to restore the beauty industry, generate employment and assist with the overall revitalization of the region.

 

Under this agreement, the Foundation has provided Rapport Hair with support in the sum of 40 million yen, which has been helpful to Rapport Hair’s opening of its new salon. Rapport Hair aims to open some 10 beauty salons over the next three years. With “Recovery Support through the Hair Salon Business” as its tagline, Rapport Hair was set up in July 2011 in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi prefecture with the objective of creating employment and protecting the livelihoods of beauty professionals who were affected by the tsunami. Its first store opened three months later in October in Ishinomaki City. Rapport Hair now has three salons in the area.

 

The opening of those salons is expected to result in securing a stable livelihood for residents, revitalizing communities and, above all, serving as a source for generating employment, focused mainly on Ishinomaki City and other devastated areas along the coast. Rapport Hair opened its newest store today at the Korona World Complex in Sendai City with support from the Foundation.

 

One of the special features of Rapport Hair salons is that it seeks to create a community atmosphere, including the provision of a “Kids’ Room”, a nursery where female staff with children can carry out their job duties more comfortably. Rapport Hair is seeking to create an environment in which the 60% of its staff who are mothers can carry out their duties while raising their children.

 

This particular assistance to Rapport Hair is a means of providing support to the revitalization of the beauty industry in devastated areas. The Foundation is committed to continuing its collaboration with local financial institutions and other entities to provide support to businesses in an effort to assist with the recovery of industry and employment generation in those areas affected by the disasters.

 

 

1.           Rapport Hair Group Co., Ltd.

①          Headquarters: 2-2-27 Okaido, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi

②          Date Established: July, 2011

③          Capital: 9 million yen

④          Business Activities: Managing Rapport Hair beauty salons and developing the Rapport Hair Franchise

⑤          Representative: Wataru Hayase, CEO

 

2.           The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation

⑥          Location: 2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

⑦          Date Established: March, 2003

⑧          Endowment: 6 billion yen

⑨          Purpose: To contribute to the recovery of regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the provision of scholarships and grants for NPOs and social welfare corporations, as well as for recovery of industry and job creation.

⑩          Representatives:

-             Chairman, Ken Kobayashi (President and CEO, Mitsubishi Corporation)

-             Deputy Chairman, Hideyuki Nabeshima (Senior Executive Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation)

-             Executive Director, Yasuhiro Hirota (Senior Vice President; General Manager, CSR and Environmental Affairs Department, Mitsubishi Corporation)