Rootrainer Trees has diversified during the past financial year and has set up a new business strand called Kuroki Koi.  The business deals with ornamental fish called koi carp.  The decision to move away from the Rootrainer name was taken in an attempt to add an oriental and authentic facade to this business.  The idea was developed by Takeo Ogawa, who is the head of Rootrainer's 'South East Asian Division' which covers all operations in Japan, Thailand, Australia, India and Indonesia.  

Takeo had noticed on his recent trips to Europe and America that there was a growing interest in the cultures of many Asian countries.  The natural progression from this was to look at opportunities of turning this cultural interest into hard cash.  Allied with the business structures set in place by Rootrainer Trees, Takeo has developed 'Kuroki Koi'.  The business has been started with two distinct markets identified.  The first of these is the elite, highly prized and very profitable koi carp exported from his native Japan to specialist outlets in several locations in the West.  These include:

London
Paris
Milan
Washington
Seattle

There are plans to open new outlets (as franchises) in Riyadh, Dubai and Athens during the next twelve months.  The second business strand is aimed at the mass market, particularly relating to the English obsession with gardening.  Takeo plans to sell directly to over 7000 garden centres within the British Isles in the next two years, and then move into the Netherlands, France, Germany and Spain the year after that.  The production of cheaper, 'mass produced' but lower quality koi will require the establishment of fish farms somewhere in Western Europe during the next twelve months.

The location of these farms will depend upon several factors: the host country must be a member of the European Union; the warmer the temperature the more rapidly the fish will grow and therefore have a minimum time from hatching to a marketable product; the population must have some experience of animal husbandry, preferably with fish; and the area must have first class transportation links to ensure less stress on the fish during distribution.  Possible locations considered so far are:

There will clearly be a need for major investment in the new fish farms and it is proposed to use the initial profits from the more exclusive koi sales to partially fund this growth.  To reduce costs the company will run alongside Ogawa Bonsai and Rootrainer Trees, using the same distribution network and will also use its sister company Ogawa Bonsai to assist in marketing.

Vouchers for Kuroki Koi will be given free with all Ogawa Bonsai trees sold, giving the holder a 10% discount on any koi carp purchased within a 12 month period.  This strategy will hopefully encourage people who would not previously have considered a pond and koi carp to adopt a more oriental flavour to their garden.  Once hooked - excuse the pun - the more exclusive (and expensive) fish can be sold, generating a self-perpetuating marketplace.

Results of the surveys of preferred koi breeds are included below for the English mass market.  The results of this survey were extracted from customers leaving a variety of garden centres identifying the specific koi they would put into a pond if they had one. 

Another possible development of this idea would be to introduce specialist koi purchasing trips to Japan, for the discerning customer to hand select their own koi.  By arranging a hassle free trip, which includes shipping and quarantining of their selected fish at the appropriate time of year would net a large potential profit.  Although the number of customers would be likely to be small, the opportunity for clients to hand select koi in the natural surroundings of the Niigata region should provide the 'chance of a lifetime'.  The area selected would probably be Mushigami.  If this trip were marketed correctly, the profits should be extensive and on top of the trip costs, charges for the transportation, quarantining and veterinary charges would also be a possibility.