Zenbird Editorial TeamNETOFF, Inc. has opened Smile Lab Narumi on 1 October, a Type B continuous employment support facility that employs people with disabilities to process secondhand goods for online resale.
The site is located in Nagoya’s Midori Ward. It is the second facility launched by Net Off. The group previously established an environment and welfare initiative that employed disabled workers to recycle discarded computers and small household appliances, an approach Net Off is now applying to general secondhand merchandise.
Smile Lab Narumi relies on inventory gathered through Net Off’s nationwide courier purchasing service, focusing on secondhand figures, hobby goods and character merchandise. Participants with mental and intellectual disabilities handle practical tasks across the resale cycle, including sorting, cleaning, repairing, inspecting, listing products on online auction platforms, and packaging shipments.
To support daily attendance, the facility also provides commuter shuttle transport, meals, and welfare coordination with local medical centres, consultation offices and group homes.
The operation links welfare work directly to commercial sales to tackle low remuneration in Japan’s disability sector. Data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare shows that average monthly wages at Type B facilities were around 24,000 yen in the 2024 fiscal year. Smile Lab Narumi pays between 50,000 yen and 60,000 yen per month by using Net Off’s online sales channels to sell the processed stock, exceeding the national average by more than double.
Net Off aims to establish 20 continuous employment facilities across Aichi Prefecture by 2030 through both internal launches and business acquisitions. The planned network is projected to create employment for roughly 400 people, with group companies operating residential group homes providing housing support alongside workplace opportunities.
[Reference] ReNet Japan Group News (Japanese)
