OFFICE RELOCATION EXAMPLE – SUNRISE Company Limited

Ever since its establishment 62 years ago, Sunrise Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as “Sunrise”) has consistently provided nationwide advertising solutions such as cinema advertisements for movie theaters. The Japanese film industry is prospering today: it attracted its largest-ever audience in history in 2016. Cinema advertisements have also been attracting huge attention. Amid the prosperity, Sunrise relocated its head office in February 2016 for the purpose of eliminating redundancy in terms of office space, which had been regarded as a problem for some time, and streamlining work. We interviewed Mr. Tsuneo Tanaka, president, and Mr. Yuji Yoshida, acting manager of the Administration Department of Sunrise Company Limited, about the background that led to the relocation and their thoughts about the new office.

We were in our previous office for just under 12 years. Because we wanted to have an office in a respectable location in terms of status as a major city and ease of access, we were tenants in a landmark building in Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku.
Our previous office had an area of 210 tsubo (approx. 694 square meters) and was designed to allow for the easy utilization of the large space. However, we noticed a lack of efficiency: a degree of redundancy was evident in many areas. Some areas were left completely unused, with their original functions poorly utilized. We began to realize that a smaller office would be sufficient.
The movements of staff were taken into consideration in the design of our previous office. However, the spaces were laid out so rigidly that we were unable to move the desks or alter the desk arrangements after an organizational reshuffle. As a result, we needed to adapt to the existing layout when deciding on staff members’ desk positions. These problems led us to look for a better property. For quite some time, we had kept an eye on good properties in neighboring areas. We wanted to relocate if we found, at the right time, a better property with a lower rent.

After the Global Financial Crisis, the advertising industry stagnated. We continued to consider office relocation and were receiving property information from about three companies. Ken Corporation was one of these companies, and it has maintained a relationship with us for seven or eight years. While the other companies stopped communicating with us, Ken Corporation continued sending us information. We thank them for patiently maintaining a relationship with us.

The lease contract with the former office building was due to expire in March 2016 and we had to express our intention to renew the contract or not by the end of September 2015, a half year before the expiration of the contract. Until that time, we had been unable to find a perfect alternative and were leaning toward renewing the contract. This was when Ken Corporation introduced the ideal property to us. The timing was perfect. That property is where we are now, in the Kioicho Building. We considered the circumstances from many different perspectives and decided to relocate to this building.

Because our decision was made right before the deadline, we had to relocate to the new location within a half year. We were concerned about the tight schedule. But the relocation was completed without any issues, largely because Ken Corporation handled everything related to communication with the interior fit-out company and the building’s management company. All of our staff members visited and viewed the property. Ken Corporation coordinated every detail. Their willingness and promptness to take action helped us a great deal.

We decided to relocate to the Kioicho Building for several reasons. In particular, we love the view. Our former office was located on the fifth floor and commanded a poor view. All we could see were Sotobori-dori Street and the stone wall of the Sanno Shrine. In contrast, there are few obstacles blocking the view from the new office and it looks like the floor penetrates horizontally throughout, which we like very much. This is because the Kioicho Building is located on an elevated site, and our office is on the 17th floor. We can see the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Skytree to the east and the high-rise buildings of Nagatacho and Akasaka to the south.

It has good access, being just two minutes from the nearest station. We are also satisfied in terms of the usability of the office. We had expected that the redevelopment project of the former site of the Akasaka Prince Hotel would positively change the flow of people and the atmosphere in Kioicho. Moreover, the Kioicho Building was located in an advantageous direction from our former office building at the time of relocation. This also supported our decision to come here.

One thing I kept in mind was to avoid making our staff members feel like they were moving to a lower-profile location. I did not want to spoil our staff’s motivation by moving to a location that appeared obviously cheap. Kioicho is rich in history and has an upmarket atmosphere. In that regard, my intuition did not have any problems whatsoever with the Kioicho Building.

Based on our experience in the former office, we ensured that our desk arrangements could be easily changed following an organizational reshuffle. This enhanced flexibility and convenience in the use of the office. The new office is about 20 tsubo (about 66 square meters) smaller, but its efficiency more than offsets the decrease in size because the redundancy of space has been eliminated.

In the former office, we had to pass the staff’s working area to enter and leave the president’s office. The new office has a door between the president’s office and the corridor so we can guide guests to the president’s office without requiring them to pass the staff’s working area. The president’s office can now be seen by the staff members, which is also good in terms of communication.

Our ingenuity has also been exercised in the area along the windows. A counter has been placed beside the windows so that the staff can enjoy the view while eating lunch or having meetings. Hopefully, the expansive view will help the staff to feel refreshed. A sofa booth is also provided in case someone feels unwell. A women’s bed and locker are provided in a partitioned space.

In addition, the color tone throughout the office has been made brighter. The overall color tone of the former office was somewhat dark because our corporate color is dark blue. This gave our office a somewhat gloomy appearance. We are now free from gloominess, as our color tone is based on white and greenish yellow. The tables are all white. The partitions have brighter colors, and the backs and seats of our chairs are colored lime green. The color tones of our office equipment are standardized and make the office appear brighter. Overall, the office makes a more cheerful impression. This is also well-received by the staff.

The development of our cloud environment and Internet environment will lead to an increase in a working style where staff members work outside the office and go straight home. It looks like the office in the Kioicho Building will become a place for our staff to gather, not stay. If this happens, personal desks may be removed and our staff may be allowed to freely change desks. Here, we have a space that will enable all of this to become a reality. Our office can be transformed in accordance with the tides of the times.
We are also considering establishing a satellite office, although this depends on the progress of a new advertising business for which we are currently making preparations, such as those for the elderly and overseas. When we do this, we would like to consult Ken Corporation again. We hope that the two companies will maintain a good relationship. We also expect to receive the latest information for streamlining the office even more, which will provide us with a good stimulus.

Company name
SUNRISE Company Limited

We have had a relationship with Sunrise Company Limited for about seven years, and have regularly informed them of market conditions and trends relating to office relocation. For a company, an office relocation is a very important project, and it is vital to continue collecting information even if you have no plan to relocate at that time. We are willing to serve you in terms of everything, from collecting information in advance to the completion of relocation. Luckily, we found the perfect property for Sunrise. We are very pleased that we were able to do so.

Other than offices, we can also help you in many different areas such as house leasing, house purchase and sale, real estate management and hotel operation. Please feel free to consult us regarding any aspect.

*The information provided herein is valid as of February 2017.