MonotaRO
| TYO: 3064 | |
| Industry | Internet, online retailing | 
| Founded | October 19, 2000 | 
| Headquarters | ,  Japan  | 
Key people  | Masaya Suzuki (President) | 
| Revenue | ¥34.556 billion (FY2013)[1] | 
| ¥3.885 billion (FY2013)[1] | |
| ¥2.289 billion (FY2013)[1] | |
| Total assets | ¥14.505 billion (FY2013)[1] | 
| Total equity | ¥7.282 billion (FY2013)[1] | 
| Parent | W. W. Grainger, Inc. | 
| Website | www | 
MonotaRO Co., Ltd., is a Japanese e-commerce company of industrial supply products based in Osaka, Japan. The company was named to Forbes Asia "Best Under A Billion" list in 2013.[2]
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 (countries names are arranged alphabetically)[3].
- Bangladesh
 - Bhutan
 - Brunei Darussalam
 - Cambodia
 - Cook Islands
 - East Timor
 - Fiji
 - Indonesia
 - Kiribati
 - Lao People's Democratic Republic
 - Malaysia
 - Maldives
 - Marshall Islands
 - Micronesia, Federated States of
 - Mongolia
 - Nauru
 - Nepal
 - Pakistan
 - Palau
 - Papua New Guinea
 - Philippines
 - Samoa
 - Singapore
 - Solomon Islands
 - Sri Lanka
 - Taiwan
 - Thailand
 - Tonga
 - Tuvalu
 - Vanuatu
 - Vietnam
 - India
 
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 (MonotaRO, Otokomae-MonotaRO, and Osaka-Spirit)
 - 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[4]
 - 2013 - Started service in Singapore
 - 2014 - Started service in Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia
 
References
- ^ a b c d e "Consolidated Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31)" (PDF). MonotaRO Co., Ltd. 2014-01-29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
 - ^ "W.W. Grainger, Inc. - Home".
 - ^ "Monotaro | Online Tool Shop - Best Price and Quality".
 - ^ "W.W. Grainger, Inc. - Home".