Monotaro
MonotaRO Co., Ltd., is a Japanese e-Commerce company of industrial supply products based in Hyogo, Japan. The company was named to Forbes Asia "Best Under A Billion" list in 2013.Overview
MonotaRO sells Maintenance, repair, and operations products through internet and catalogs, targeting small and mid-sized manufacturing companies. MonotaRO sells various product categories such as Personal protective equipment, hand tools, fasteners, and lab supplies. It has more than 1 million customers in Japan.
The company name MonotaRO is an acronym for Maintenance, Repair & Operations. It also means to have sufficient number of products in Japanese. It is also a play on the name of the Japanese hero Momotaro.Global expansion
In 2013, MonotaRO began web-based sales in Singapore. In 2014 web-based sales expanded to Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia.
Now they ship to following countries.
History
- 2000 - Sumitomo and W. W. Grainger, Inc. founded a company as joint venture in Japan
- 2001 - Website launch, which began and nationwide sales
- 2004 - Start selling private label
- 2006 - Launch IHC MonotaRO, targeting private use customers
- 2006 - Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
- 2009 - W. W. Grainger, Inc. acquired a majority ownership of the company
- 2013 - Started service in Singapore
- 2014 - Started service in Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia
