Nojima, a Japanese retailer of electrical appliances and electronics, is preparing to acquire the business of the VAIO brand, once owned by Sony before being sold to Japan Industrial Partners, Inc. in 2014.
Nojima is set to acquire approximately 93% of VAIO’s shares, valued at around 1.1 trillion yen or roughly 2.5 billion baht. The deal is expected to be finalized in January 2025, with VAIO becoming a subsidiary of Nojima, while Sony will retain a 5% stake in VAIO, just as it did when selling to Japan Industrial Partners. The management team will remain unchanged.
Nojima plans to utilize its existing sales network to boost VAIO’s sales, while VAIO’s distribution channels will remain the same, not exclusively tied to Nojima.
Under Japan Industrial Partners, VAIO shifted its strategy to focus on the corporate market, discontinued its budget product line, and reduced its workforce, leading to increased revenue and profits year on year. As of May 2024, VAIO reported sales of 9.5 billion baht, an 18% growth compared to the previous year. Moving forward, VAIO plans to re-enter the budget notebook market and expand its market internationally, moving beyond its current focus solely on Japan.
Source: Nikkei
TLDR: Nojima is set to acquire 93% of VAIO shares, valued at 1.1 trillion yen, with plans to boost sales through its existing network, while VAIO aims to re-enter the budget notebook market and expand internationally under its new ownership.
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