Co-op Shiga* has started "Community Station," a place to pick up home delivery products at local communities such as community centers, local government halls, and vacant houses. Co-op Shiga believes that by establishing a "Community Station," that place will become a "gathering place" for the local people. The co-op makes weekly deliveries to the same location at the same time on the same day. Therefore, residents will gather at this station once a week to pick up deliveries and meet each other. It is expected that Community Station becomes not only a pickup station but also a place to gather and watch over each other.

On May 28, the first Community Station was opened at the "Child-care support café LOCO"* in Nagahama City. Currently, five co-op members have registered and are receiving Co-op Shiga's home delivery products.

Ms. MIYAMOTO Mari, Representative of LOCO LLC, who runs the "Child-care support café LOCO," made the following comments:

"It's comfortable and easier to come here with a purpose than without any purpose, such as picking up a product. It would be great if this place becomes a place for interaction. I want seniors to come here in good health and hope that the station will become a place to watch over each other. Also, through the use of the station, I hope that working mothers feel easier going to work by reducing their time to go to a supermarket and that everyone's life will become more convenient."

   

*Co-op Shiga has a membership of 208,854 (as of FY2020) and is mainly engaged in home delivery and store business in Shiga Prefecture in the Kinki region of Japan.

**Child-care support café LOCO is a community cafe located in a commercial complex in front of Japan Railway (JR) Nagahama Station. Its main business is to operate a café and serve lunch. But it is also a community space that everyone can feel like a second home where people can gather, learn, and have fun, with events and seminars for parents and children. It also becomes a place for high school students and seniors to have interaction.