At 10 a.m. on January 7, 2014, over 400 people in sportswear poured into the National Taiwan University Gymnasium, where cheerleaders performed on stage. This wasn’t a school PE class but the annual year-end party of A-Shoe Group (阿瘦集团)!
Taiwan’s largest shoe retail chain, A-Shoe Group, held its first-ever sports-themed year-end party under the theme “A-Shoe Fun Run Day,” aiming to encourage employees to get active, develop good exercise habits, strengthen teamwork through friendly competition, and look forward to providing better service to customers in the new year.
This was not only the first sports-themed year-end event for A-Shoe, but possibly an industry first, and the mastermind behind it is none other than A-Shoe Group Chairman Lo Jung-Yueh.
Passionate about swimming and mountain climbing
Developed a diverse exercise routine at age 35
Born in 1957 (Year 46 of the Republic of China), he is now 57 years old. He developed a regular exercise routine at the age of 35. He swims three to four times a week, 30–40 minutes each time, regardless of the season. He said swimming is quiet and helps him think, and sometimes even brings unexpected inspiration. Besides swimming, he also goes mountain climbing. From October 2012 to the present, in just one year and three months, he has climbed eight peaks including Snow Mountain, Hehuanshan, and Yushan, and also challenged a 3,300-meter swim across Sun Moon Lake—earning the title of someone who goes both “up the mountain” and “into the sea.”
In recent years, with the growing popularity of road running in Taiwan, he gradually joined the trend and occasionally practices yoga, making his exercise routine increasingly diverse. Lo Jung-Yueh says exercising makes him feel refreshed and more resistant to the cold—even when it’s 11°C, he can still do warm-up exercises in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Moreover, during the flu season this winter, he hasn’t even used his National Health Insurance card yet.
Because he has maintained good exercise habits for a long time, and since 2012, inspired by the chairman of Din Tai Fung Group, Dai Sheng-Yi, to take on the challenge of climbing Taiwan’s 100 Peaks, he said that although he had no interest in mountain climbing before, experiencing it firsthand made him realize it wasn’t as fun as he imagined...
Lo Jung-Yueh said that you can’t shower for days while mountain climbing, everyone sleeps cramped together at night, the sleep isn’t great, and you end up panting from the climb... So why are people like Dai Sheng-Yi so passionate about it? From this, he gained an insight: “Life is not about seeking comfort, but doing something meaningful—and that meaning is something you define for yourself, not what others impose on you!”
Promoting Fitness for All
Encouraging Colleagues to Push Their Limits
Inspired by this, he wanted to promote healthy exercise habits and the spirit of self-challenge within the group. In August 2013, he launched the first “Fitness Training Class” at the group headquarters, inviting fitness coaches from National Taiwan University to lead the sessions. The course consisted of 12 classes per session, with managers at the deputy manager level or above participating first.
On hiring professional coaches, Lo Jung-Yueh said, “The word ‘exercise’ sounds simple—having employees run laps around the track is exercise too—but having a coach ensures they won’t injure themselves, so ‘no matter how expensive, we have to hire one!’” This year, they plan to continue with the second and third batches of fitness classes to involve more colleagues.
Additionally, at the end of last year, A-Shoe Group rallied over 100 employees to participate in the Taipei Marathon, and everyone braved wind and rain to complete the race. Lo Jung-Yueh said that this year they will organize another team to swim across Sun Moon Lake, to not only promote exercise but also encourage colleagues to challenge their limits.
This year’s year-end party broke with tradition—replacing the usual feasting and performances with sports competitions. Celebrity endorsers Claire Sui and Hsieh Chen-Wu were also invited to join in the fun, and employee feedback was very positive. A-Shoe Group founder and president Lo Shui-Mu, at the age of 84, also participated in the event, encouraging employees to maintain exercise habits like him to stay healthy.
Now, this wave of enthusiasm for exercise is spreading within A-Shoe Group, starting from the headquarters, with the long-term goal of involving retail store staff as well. A-Shoe currently operates over 200 stores in Taiwan and five in Nanjing, China. Last year, total revenue was NT$3.244 billion, a 9.58% decline from the previous year. However, Lo Jung-Yueh stated that this year’s year-end bonuses and salary increases will remain at last year’s levels, and the company is striving to upgrade from the emerging stock market to a full listing within the year.
Enhancing Quality Service
Hoping Employees Excel in Both Skills and Ethics
Lo Jung-Yueh said that in recent years, physical retail stores have been impacted by online channels, and A-Shoe is also considering what other business models exist beyond brick-and-mortar shops. Therefore, in addition to partnering with Yahoo Shopping Mall to enter e-commerce, they will also experiment with TV shopping formats, moving toward an integrated online-offline approach.
Furthermore, A-Shoe Group, which emphasizes service, has won the Outstanding Store Manager Award from the Taiwan Chain and Franchise Association (TCFA) for seven consecutive years, securing 35 spots in total—with an average of five outstanding store managers winning each year. Lo Jung-Yueh proudly said, “We’re really proud of that!” He believes that good service requires professionalism first, and attitude second. For example, when a customer walks in, you must first assess their foot type and recommend suitable shoes; otherwise, if the customer tries on many pairs that don’t fit, they won’t be satisfied. Only then comes friendliness, smiles, and patience—all two aspects must be combined.
Looking ahead, with quality service, excellent products, and healthy, energetic employees, A-Shoe Group believes it will continue to charge forward this year with the spirit of climbing 100 peaks, swimming across lakes, and running marathons.