TOKYO, Japan, Feb. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Along with Mt. Fuji, sushi and bonsai, Japan is also known for its vast number of vending machines. With a land area of 364 thousand square kilometers[1], there are about 5.5 million vending machines[2] or 15 vending machines per square kilometer in Japan, one of the highest penetration rate per land area in the world. Japan is recognized as a world leader in robotics and manufacturing automation, thus Japanese are just so accustomed to these automated machines.
It is then no surprise that Western Union, a leader in global payment services, has chosen to expand its retail network with Densan System Company Ltd (DSK), an IT solution provider in e-commerce and payments, through its sub-agent, Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd (CKSU)'s vast kiosk footprint. CKSU, whose channel includes Circle K shops and Sunkus shops, currently has more than 6,000 kiosks installed in their locations around the country.
Having Western Union money transfer service available in CKSU's kiosks allows consumers to send money in a fast, reliable and convenient way. These kiosks operate every day except during service maintenance schedules beyond the normal banking hours of 9am to 9pm. Consumers can also select from 9 languages – Japanese, English, Chinese, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.
Western Union's reliable global footprint allows consumers to send money to over 500,000 Agent locations[3] in 200 countries[3] and territories or to over 1 billion accounts[3] by using the kiosks.
"As we grow, we will continue to invest to provide consumers with more solutions and options that meet their changing needs. This is why we are very pleased with the collaboration that we have with DSK and their sub-agent CKSU. With more than 6,000 kiosks, we are able to offer options that meet the needs of our users to send money in a convenient and reliable way," commented Eiji Kobayashi, Western Union Country Director for Japan.
The world's population is becoming increasingly transient with more and more people working and living away from their city or country of birth. In 2014, the Labor Ministry estimated the number of foreign workers living in Japan on a short stay basis at 790,000[4] while the Department of Statistics estimates a total of 17 million foreigners[5] living in Japan – including those on short and long stay. The capability to transfer money internationally in a secure, reliable and convenient manner is becoming more important in Japan.
"We believe that the commencement of the service through Circle K Sunkus, which has more than 2,100 stores in 4 Tokai prefectures and more than 6,300 stores nationwide, will provide greater convenience to more than 50,000 registered users of the Western Union® Money TransferSM service via convenience stores in Japan, including approximately 14,000 registered users of the service in 4 Tokai prefectures" says Yasunori Tanaka, President and COO of Densan System Co., Ltd.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2015, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 500,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 100,000 ATMs and kiosks, and included the capability to send money to hundreds of millions of accounts. In 2014, The Western Union Company completed 255 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $85 billion of principal between consumers, and 484 million business payments. For more information, visit www.WesternUnion.com.
About Densan System Co., Ltd
Founded in Gifu prefecture in 1967, Densan System Co., Ltd. (DSK, Japan Stock Ticket Number: 3630) is an independent and integrated IT service provider, operating in two business domains, IT services and payment agency services. In the IT service sphere, DSK provides software development, system integration services, data center and business process outsourcing services. In the payment agency service sphere, DSK initiated payment agency services via convenience stores in 1997 as the first private company to offer such services, and has been expanding payment services as an integrated payment service provider. DSK became the agent of Western Union in 2011, and started international money transfer services via FamilyMart kiosk terminals and its sub-agent retailor channels. For more information, visit http://www.densan-s.co.jp/.
About Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd
Formed in 2001, Circle K Sunkus is a convenience store chain whose primary goal is to cater to the needs of small neighborhoods by providing personal and convenient service. Circle K Sunkus oversees the Circle K and Sunkus convenience store networks operating 6353 stores in 36 prefectures from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu. Its vision is to "Bring the Highest Customer Satisfaction" to every neighborhood where there is a Circle K or Sunkus store. As of February 2015, Circle K Sunkus reported an operating revenue of 148,110 million yen and 1816 employees.
| [1] World Bank 2014 |
| [2] http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/cultural/hj/vendingmachines.html |
| [3] Network data as of 30 September 2015. |
| [5] http://www.jil.go.jp/english/estatis/databook/2015/02.html |
