Disclaimer This is an English translation of the captioned release. This translation is prepared and provided for the purpose of the reader’s convenience. All readers are recommended to refer to the original version in Japanese of the release for complete information

News Release dated: December 17, 2014

To whom it may concern: Company Name: ASKUL Corporation (Code No.: 2678, Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section)

Representative: Shoichiro Iwata President and Chief Executive Officer

Contact Person: Tsuguhiro Tamai Executive Officer, Finance & Corporate Communication Unit Phone: (03) 4330-5130

FY5/2015 1st Half Performance

(Consolidated financial summary for first half of fiscal year ending May 2015)

ASKUL Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) herewith attach the “FY5/2015 1st Half

Performance” (Consolidated financial summary for first half of fiscal year ending May 2015 ) to

provide supplementary information with respect to the “Summary of Consolidated Financial Results

for First Half of Fiscal Year Ending May 2015 (Japanese GAAP).”

These supplementary materials include forward-looking statements concerning current plans and the

outlook for operating results. These statements are based on plans and forecasts that use currently

available information. Forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees about the future

because actual operating results may differ from the Company’s outlook for a variety of reasons.

These supplementary materials are unaudited and have not been reviewed by certified public

accountants or auditors.

December 17, 2014

Accelerate Speed of Growth and Boost Returns FurtherDouble-digit Growth in 1st Half, Both in Sales and Profits

FY5/2015 1st Half Performance

DisclaimerThis is an English translation of the captioned presentation material. This translation is prepared and provided for the purpose of the convenience of non-Japanese-speaking people. All readers are recommended to refer to the original version in Japanese of the presentation material for complete information.

1

Notes:This material contains ASKUL Group’s current plans and performance outlook. These plans, forecasts, and other forward-looking statements represent ASKUL’s plans and forecasts based on information currently available. Actual performance may differ from these plans and forecasts due to a variety of conditions and factors that could occur in the future. This material does not represent promises or guarantees regarding the achievement of these plans. The terms such as Largest, Optimum, Fastest, Best are used for illustrative purposes and do not guarantee such achievement. This material has not been audited by certified public accountants or auditing firms.

For the purposes of this material, LOHACO refers to the online mail-order business for general consumers, launched in October 2012 in alliance with Yahoo Japan Corporation.B-to-B refers to business-to-business transactions.

Reproduction or reprint in any form of all or part of this material (including trademarks and images) without the permission of ASKUL is prohibited.

2

I. First Half Results– Double-digit Growth in Sales and Profits –

II. Strengthening of Logistics Capability– Pursuit of Higher Efficiency –

III. Status of LOHACO Business– Shift Gears for Becoming No. 1 in Second-generation E-commerce –

IV. Status of B-to-B Business– Accelerate Speed of Growth and Boost Returns Further –

(¥million) (¥million) (¥million) (%)

Net Sales 119,215 100 131,944 100 132,500 99.6 110.7

Gross Profit 26,678 22.4 28,690 21.7 29,100 98.6 107.5

Selling, General andAdminis trative

Expens es25,211 21.1 27,053 20.5 27,100 99.8 107.3

Operating Income 1,467 1.2 1,637 1.2 2,000 81.9 111.6

Ordinary Income 1,523 1.3 1,705 1.3 1,980 86.1 112.0

Net Income 558 0.5 885 0.7 1,000 88.5 158.7

% ofsales

% ofsales

% of planPlan

FY5/2014 1H FY5/2015 1H

YoYchange

ActualActual

3

FY5/2015 1H Consolidated Performance

Double-digit growth in net sales by overcoming the impact of the consumption tax increase

A -¥270 million impact of a temporary loss at a subsidiary on operating income

Double-digit growth in all of operating, ordinary and net income

Yo Y c h a n g e(% )

B-to-B Bus ine s s , e tc. 114.9 123.0 107.0L OHA CO 4.2 8.9 208.1Tota l 119.2 131.9 110.7

107 0B-to-B Bus ine s s , e tc. 2.8 3.6 128.9L OHA CO -1.3 -1.7 -S ubtota l 1.4 1.9 130.1Te mpora ry los s a t as ubs idia ry - -0.2 -

Tota l 1.4 1.6 111.6

Net sales

Op

erating

inco

me

FY5/2015 1HActua l

(¥b i l l i o n )

FY5/2014 1HActua l

(¥b i l l i o n )

4

FY5/2015 1H Consolidated Performance (By Business)

Net salesB-to- B Business, etc.:

Growth rate has been accelerated

LOHACO: More than doubled

Operating incomeB-to- B Business, etc.:

Returns increased 28.9% YoY

LOHACO: Actively implementing growth measures

Factors Affecting FY5/2015 1H Consolidated Net Sales

+4.6

+5.5+2.5

5

FY5/2014 1H (actual)Net sales ¥119.2 billionYoY change +¥9.4 billionYoY growth +8.6%

FY5/2015 1H (actual)Net sales ¥131.9 billionYoY change +¥12.7 billionYoY growth +10.7%

Incr

ease

due

to LO

HAC

O

Incr

ease

due

to M

RO/M

edic

al

busin

esse

s*

Incr

ease

from

oth

er B

-to-

B bu

sines

s, et

c.

*MRO/Medical businesses do not include LOHACO portion

(¥billion)

LOHACONet sales ¥8.9 billionYoY change +¥4.6 billion

MRO/Medical businesses*Net sales ¥20.2 billionYoY change +¥2.5 billion

Other B-to-B business, etc.Net sales ¥102.8 billionYoY change +¥5.5 billion

+0.8

1.4 1.6

Factors Affecting FY5/2015 1H Consolidated Operating Income

-0.3

-0.2

1.9

6

FY5/2014 1H operating income(actual) ¥1.4 billion

Incr

ease

in o

pera

ting

inco

me

due

to sa

les

incr

ease

s in

B-to

-B b

usin

ess,

etc.

Dec

reas

e in

ope

ratin

g in

com

e du

e to

act

ive

sale

s pro

mot

ion

at

LOHA

CO b

usin

ess,

etc.

FY5/2015 1H operating income(actual) ¥1.6 billion

Dec

reas

e in

ope

ratin

g in

com

e du

e to

a te

mpo

rary

loss

at a

su

bsid

iary

FY5/2014 1H (actual)Net sales growth YoY +8.6%Gross profit margin 22.4%SG&A expense ratio 21.1%

FY5/2015 1H (actual)Net sales growth YoY +10.7%Gross profit margin 21.7%SG&A expense ratio 20.5%

(¥billion)

Q o Q c h a n g e(% )

B-to-B Bus ine s s , e tc. 59.0 64.0 108.7L OHA CO 4.0 4.8 117.9Tota l 63.0 68.9 109.3

107 0B-to-B Bus ine s s , e tc. 1.2 2.3 185.6L OHA CO -0.9 -0.8 -S ubtota l 0.3 1.5 401.0Te mpora ry los s a t as ubs idia ry - -0.2 -

Tota l 0.3 1.2 329.6

Net sales

Op

erating

inco

me

FY5/2015 2QActua l

(¥b i l l i o n )

FY5/2015 1QActua l

(¥b i l l i o n )

7

FY5/2015 1Q and 2Q Consolidated Performances (By Business)

B-to-B Business, etc.Profitability increased significantly(a 1.5 p.p. improvement in the ratio of operating income to net sales)

LOHACOOperating loss narrowed(top line has been robust)

OverallOperating income grew four-fold from the previous quarter(excluding the impact of the temporary factor)

21

22

23

Aug Sep Oct Nov

Trend of Gross Profit* on Merchandise Sales at B-to-B Business (Non-consolidated)

*The figures have been calculated by excluding sales promotion premium and incentives for agents, etc.

Previous catalog is valid

Limited time discount offer with new catalog

New prices apply to all

products

Maintained price competitiveness and carried

out price revision

Latest profitability has significantly improved

The number of customers continues to increase

Net sales have increased reflecting increased average customer spending

Up

1.1 p.p.

Gross profit on merchandise sales

8

Average 1H gross profit on merchandise salesat B-to-B Business (non-consolidated)

(¥billio n) (¥billio n) (%)

Net Sales 253.4 100 277.0 100 109.3

Gross Profit 55.7 22.0 61.5 22.2 110.4

Selling, General andAdminis trative

Expens es51.4 20.3 55.0 19.9 107.0

Operating Income 4.2 1.7 6.5 2.3 152.0

Ordinary Income 4.4 1.8 6.4 2.3 145.2

Net Income 2.1 0.9 3.4 1.2 157.0

FY5/2014Full-year Actual

Amount YoY change

FY5/2015Full-year Plan

Amount% of netsales

% of netsales

Latest profitability has been improving

The full-year plan is left

unchanged9

FY5/2015 Full-year Consolidated Performance Plan

Yo Y c h a n g e( % )

B - t o - BB u si n e ss, e t c . 126.3 131.9 104.4

LO H AC O 7.8 13.0 167.1

To t a l 134.1 145.0 108.1

B - t o - BB u si n e ss, e t c . 4.3 6.1 139.3

LO H AC O -1.5 -1.2 -

To t a l 2.7 4.8 174.0

Net Sales

Operating Incom

e

FY5/20152H Pl a n

(¥b i l l i o n )

FY5/20142H Actua l(¥b i l l i o n )

10

FY5/2015 2H Consolidated Performance Plan (By Business)

Net salesTaking into consideration the reaction to the last-minute demand before the consumption tax increase

Operating incomeLogistics productivity has been firmly improving

Profitability is rising due to price revision, etc.

Further improve logistics efficiency to become No. 1 in e-commerceEvolve logistics service through innovation

Continue to focus on top line in LOHACO businessGrowth engine is e-commerce marketing that starts from customers

Solid B-to-B business to focus on growth fieldsSteadily generate sales and profits

FY5/2015 Company-wide Policy

11

12

I. First Half Results– Double-digit Growth in Sales and Profits –

II. Strengthening of Logistics Capability– Pursuit of Higher Efficiency –

III. Status of LOHACO Business– Shift Gears for Becoming No. 1 in Second-generation E-commerce –

IV. Status of B-to-B Business– Accelerate Speed of Growth and Boost Returns Further –

13

Initiative being implemented Progress in the 1st half

(1) Center operation (local operation perspective): 1Q

Stable operation in linewith plan

(2) Material handling equipment and system (engineer’s perspective): 2Q

Investments completedResults from 3Q onwards

(3) Business process, model (business perspective): 2Q, 3Q

To focus from now on

Initiatives for Improving Logistics Efficiency in FY5/2015 Warehouse operation

14

40.0

45.0

50.0

55.0

60.0

65.0

70.0

75.0

1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q

Improvement from the local operation perspective• Optimized distribution of inventory

products• Leveling of packing and replenishment

operation• Optimization of man-hour management

FY5/2014 FY5/2015

Average Warehouse Operation Unit Cost of All Centers

The core distribution centers in east and w

est start operation

15

Warehouse operation

Productivity has improved significantly

Delivery share in ASKUL Group

About 60%Covers high density areas

Value-added services such as ECO-TURN Delivery*, etc.are being offered in the B-to-B business

Delivery operation

Controls company-wide delivery costs

Performance for Jun–Nov 2014 (based on the number of parcels)

BizexOthers

*ECO-TURN Delivery is an environment-friendly delivery service that uses foldable containers to eliminate packing materials and waste.We have switched returnable bags to paper bags from late August 2013 onwards 16

Returnable bag

Foldable container

Further Strengthening of Overwhelming Logistics Capability

Aim to become No.1 in second-generatione-commerce by accelerating the pace of business

growth while evolving the logistics service

17

18

I. First Half Results– Double-digit Growth in Sales and Profits –

II. Strengthening of Logistics Capability– Pursuit of Higher Efficiency –

III. Status of LOHACO Business– Shift Gears for Becoming No. 1 in Second-generation E-commerce –

IV. Status of B-to-B Business– Accelerate Speed of Growth and Boost Returns Further –

×

19

Life changes with LOHACO.

It became convenient.Let’s be happy.

Second-generation e-commerce as envisionedby LOHACO

Daily useWhenever, wherever

EC for daily necessities

20

×Largest Product RangeOptimum PriceFastest Distribution SystemBest Customer Support

Best Customer Appeal

Best Settlement

CustomerAppeal

ProductRange Price Settlement Distribution Customer

Support

Structural Strengths

21

Measures to be crystallized based on big data analysis ofthese two axes

Aim for net sales expansion and profitability improvement

Product-centered Customer-centered

22

Shifting Gears towards No.1 in Second-generation e-commerce

Jun Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov De

cJa

nFe

bM

arAp

rM

ay Jun Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

LOHACO net sales to grow significantlytowards becoming

No.1 insecond-generation

e-commerce

LOHACO Business Net Sales Trend

LOHACO

208%of the same period

a year earlier

2014 2015

23

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

(Number of people)Trend in LOHACO-san*

*LOHACO-san:Among repeat customers, loyal customers who satisfy certain criteria

2013 2014

LOHACO-san expanding steadily

Second-generation e-commerce Steadily Spreading

The number of LOHACO-san

150,000 peoplein about 2 years

The next milestone

1 million people

24

Massproduction

Massadvertising

Massdistribution

Securingregular item

status

(1) Immediate startup(2) Upfront investment(3) Negotiation for regular item

status(4) Reduction of regular items,

inventory disposal,own-brand products

Issues facing manufacturers

Innovation

Conventional process

LOHACO’s process

(1) Small start(2) High-speed

implementation of PDCA(3) Visualization of evaluation(4) Expansion at low cost

Smallstart Communication

Productevaluation

Improve Spread Nurture,establish

25

Taking on Challenge to Enable Distribution Process from Customer Perspective

We will focus onfurther vitalization of

existing storesfrom now on

Pursue profits through added

value

New Open!

8stores

at the time of opening(August 2013)

35stores

(As of December 17, 2014)

2Q

２Ｑ

1Q

２Ｑ

26

関氏さんに確認伊藤

Date: November 19, 2014 (Wednesday)

Venue: Grand Hyatt TokyoParticipants: 307 officials from 145 companies

LOHACO Web Marketing Consortium

27

LOHACO will shift gearsin pursuit of further expansion

28

29

I. First Half Results– Double-digit Growth in Sales and Profits –

II. Strengthening of Logistics Capability– Pursuit of Higher Efficiency –

III. Status of LOHACO Business– Shift Gears for Becoming No. 1 in Second-generation E-commerce –

IV. Status of B-to-B Business– Accelerate Speed of Growth and Boost Returns Further –

30

TargetingB-to-B Business

FY5/2002 FY5/2004 FY5/2006 FY5/2008 FY5/2010 FY5/2012 FY5/2014

Net Sales of B-to-B Business to Post Continuous Growth

Great East Japan Earthquake

Collapse of Lehman Brothers

Actual/plan

31

*Trend of B-to-B business’s net sales(non-consolidated) 32

102

104

106

108

110

112

114

FY5/2014 2Q 3Q 4Q FY5/2015 1Q 2Q

Trend of YoY Change in Net Sales of B-to-B Business, etc.(%)

Net sales increased 8.3% in 2Q compared with the same period a year earlier

By overcoming the reaction to the last minute

demand ahead of the consumption tax rate

increase

Last minute demandahead of the consumption

tax rate increase

32

Increase the number of customers(primarily in manufacturing and medical/nursing care)

Introduce new high-demand products (MRO, medical)

Evolve e-commerce purchasing website to boost active customer rate

3 Measures That Support Growth of B-to-B Business

33

Manufacturing/construction

Medical/nursing care

Other

Manufacturing/construction

Medical/nursing care

Other

Increase the Number of Customers(Primarily in Manufacturing and Medical/Nursing Care)

34

FY5/2014 actual FY5/2015 target

Develop

approx. 170,000companies

in manufacturing/construction and medical/nursing care fields

As of the end of November 2014

More than 90,000 companieshave been developed

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1Q 1H 9 months Full year

FY5/2014 actual

FY5/2015 actual/plan

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1Q 1H 9 months Full year

FY5/2014 actual

FY5/2015 actual/plan

Net Sales in Growth Areas Continue to Expand

35

MRO business’s net sales at ASKUL Group

FY5/2015 target

20% growth¥34.0 billion

*Including sales through LOHACO

(¥billion) Net sales of the medical business

FY5/2015 target

13% growth ¥11.4 billion

*Including products sold through LOHACO (LOHACO DRUG pharmaceuticals, etc.)

(¥billion)

The number of customers in manufacturing/construction and medical/nursing care expanded

Focus on offering new products targeting these customers in all categories

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

FY5/2014 1H FY5/2015 1H

+¥2.1 billion

*Excluding sales through LOHACO

Trend of Living Supplies Net Sales(B-to-B Business)

Speed of growth of existing categories led by living supplies has been

accelerated36

(¥billion)

B-to-B business advancing towards development of new markets and further

bolstering of profits37

38

Appendix

100

110

120

130

FY5/2013 FY5/2014 FY5/2015

Trend in FY5/2015 1H Consolidated Net Sales

Marked a record high

Achieved net sales exceeding

¥130.0 billion

39

(¥billion)

Amount YoY change Amount YoY change(¥billio n) (%) (¥billio n) (%)

OA&PC 41.4 103.8 42.8 103.3

Stationery 25.4 107.3 27.3 107.8

Living Supplies 27.2 120.4 33.2 122.2

Furniture 8.7 103.2 9.5 108.3Others

(Medical, etc.) 8.1 112.7 9.2 113.2

Total 111.0 108.9 122.2 110.1

1H FY5/2014 1H FY5/2015

40

FY5/2015 1H Net Sales by Product Category

Non-consolidated net sales were also

a record

Positive growthin all categories

Non-consolidated

34

31

26

16

1 25

810

12

1922

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

5/20045/2005

5/20065/2007

5/20085/2009

5/20105/2011

5/20125/2013

5/2014

11/2014

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

FY5/04 FY5/05 FY5/06 FY5/07 FY5/08 FY5/09 FY5/10 FY5/11 FY5/12 FY5/13 FY5/14 FY5/15

SOLOEL ARENA Expanding Steadily

4.28.5

14.9

22.4

29.734.5

38.745.1

53.4

61.6

71.0

Sales increased 15.2% on year, exceeding full-year plan of 12.7%41

SOLOELARENA

SOLOELEnterprise

ASKULInternet

Shop

LOHACO

Medium-sized companies

Large-sized companies

Small- to medium-sized

offices

Individuals

(¥billion)

1H FY5/2014 sales ¥33.5 billion

SOLOEL ARENA , etc. Sales Trend

1H FY5/2015 sales ¥38.6 billion; YoY change +15.2%

FY5/2015 plan

¥80.0 billion

Cumulative Total of Registered Companies at SOLOEL ARENA, etc.

(thousand companies)

20

25

30

FY5/2013 FY5/2014 FY5/2015

FY5/2015 1H Trend in Consolidated Gross Profit

42

(¥billion)

Marked a record high

Steadily accumulating profit

reflecting sales increase

Gross profit: ¥28.6 billion YoY change: +¥2.0 billion

Gross profit margin: 21.7% YoY change: -0.6 p.p.; gap with the plan: -0.2 p.p.

Declined temporarily due to increase in cost of sales reflecting the weaker yen and higher raw material price as well as LOHACO’s pricing strategy → The latest figure has improved significantly

SG&A expenses: ¥27.0 billion YoY change: +¥1.8 billion

Ratio of SG&A expenses to net sales: 20.5% YoY change: -0.6 p.p.; gap with the plan: -0.2 p.p.

Normalized and satisfactory due to favorable impact of lower fixed cost ratio thanks to cost reduction and sales increase and improvement in logistics productivity, which had worsened temporarily

(Ref.) Advertising and sales promotion expenses: ¥950 million

《Appendix》 Consolidated Gross Profit, SG&A Expenses, Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures: ¥1.6 billion (Annual plan: ¥6.3 billion)

(Major investment) ASKUL Logi PARK Fukuoka logistics base enhancement ¥0.5 billion

(Ref.) Depreciation and amortization of software: ¥2.0 billion (Annual plan: ¥4.1 billion) 43

《Appendix》

44

(1) Share of orders placed on the Internet in net sales

1H FY5/2014 1H FY5/2015 YoY change

Orders via the Internet 73.1% 76.1% +3.0 p.p.

Other 26.9% 23.9% -3.0 p.p.

Note 1: The percentages above are based on orders placed.

Notes:

1. The figures above are the results for the month of November each year.

2. Net sales of original products used as the numerators in calculating the shares in net sales do not include net sales of original copier paper.

3. The figures for the number of original products do not include the products listed in Medical & Care Catalogs and Medical Pro Catalogs.

(items)(2) ASKUL original productsNovember 2013(single month)

November 2014(single month)

YoY change

Number of original products 5,113 5,863 +750

Share in net sales 16.3% 18.6% +2.3p.p.

45

《Appendix》

Construction in progress Note 2 252 733 290.6%

Software in progress Note 2 68 276 406.6%

(¥million)

Item1H FY5/2014 1H FY5/2015

Amount Amount YoY change

[Capital expenditures] 20,648 1,652 8.0%

Property, plant and equipment 19,573 977 5.0%

Intangible assets 1,075 674 62.8%

Notes:

1. Capital expenditures are stated on an accrual basis and do not reflect reductions.

2. Construction in progress and software in progress partially include consumption and other taxes.

(3) Capital Expenditures