With over 1,000 stores in Japan, Paris Miki is the country’s most successful optical chain, holding the number one market position for 17 years. Outside Japan, the company has not been dormant. Paris Miki International is currently expanding its 111 worldwide stores and has achieved the number three position in the global market.

The charismatic and warm personality of the current chairman reflects the ideals behind the Paris Miki brand. “What makes Paris Miki different,” the chairman says, “is that we serve beyond our customers’ expectations. We make lifetime customers and one of a kind, high fashion eyeglasses.”

Paris Miki utilizes the latest in technology to create specialized eyewear to fit the dynamics and features of individual faces. Using patented computer graphics with a built-in artificial intelligence, the company actually designs the eyewear with the customer to deliver a custom-made product.

Its new line of eyewear is the stunningly light Au line, named after the chemical symbol for gold. The frames are made of fine hollow tubes of 18-carat gold. Highly specialized, flexible and luxurious, the tubes are produced in Switzerland.

As a family owned business, Paris Miki extends the qualities of family into the business itself. Hiroshi Tane, recounts the advice of his father: “We should never settle with ordinary staff. The key is to have customer oriented staff who believe in the values of the business.”

In line with this philosophy, Tane has established “Miki Owners Royalty” program. It is a concept in which the individual Paris Miki stores are owned by the franchise store manager (former associates who are also the shareholders of Paris Miki). Currently, 108 stores in Japan are privately owned Paris Miki Owners Royalty stores.

To further develop this concept, Tane looks to the business leaders of tomorrow – the younger generation in Japan. He notes the rising number of independent young women in Japan who are studying abroad and growing more sophisticated and outward thinking. “I would like to invite these young people to start their careers with Paris Miki and learn about our business and then eventually become members of Miki Owners Royalty,” he says.

The Paris Miki philosophy, which embraces independence and individuality, fits right in with the ideals of its chosen base in Europe: Switzerland.