Nakajima USA
Encyclopedia
Nakajima USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nakajima Japan, a family run company founded in 1919. A seasoned company in the design and manufacture of licensed plush, collectible and seasonal toys and gifts, Nakajima USA currently produces and distributes a wide range of lifestyle products under a master license agreement for Sanrio
Inc. as well as the company’s signature characters.
Nakajima USA has produced and distributed lifestyle products for brands including Angry Little Girls, Harajuku Lovers
and Sesame Street
. Nakajima USA operates in Los Angeles
and San Francisco. The stores division, sales, marketing, finance and operations are based in Los Angeles, while warehouse facilities, customer service, credit and merchandise control and based in San Francisco.
1919: Founder and CEO Koichi Nakajima started celluloid Toy Plush in Kameido, Koto-ku in Japan
1945: Office moved from Kameido, Koto-ku to Chuo, Edogawa-ku where it is currently located
1953: Company organization changed to corporation
1953: Start producing inflatable vinyl toys
1959: Trade name changed to Nakajima Seisakusho.
1962: License contract with Walt Disney Company, produced floating ring, floating boat, and kids pool
1986: New head office building at 1-7-8 Chuo Edogawa-ku established
1988: Founds partner corporation Nakajima USA. Begins license contract with Sanrio.
1991: Trade name changed to Nakajima Corporation
1996: New organization with the new CEO Shinji Nakajima begins
In April 2004, Sanrio Co. Ltd., expanded its license to Nakajima USA to include all categories of products for US Sanrio Boutique Stores and specialty gift retailers.
Nakajima USA currently assumes responsibility for the US boutique and retail stores business to include 49 independently run Sanrio
stores, 47 Nakajima USA corporate-owned Sanrio stores, and the wholesale gift business to include 2000+ accounts nationwide. Today, Nakajima USA is Sanrio’s principle licensee and its primary partner for the Specialty Retail Channel in the US.
Sanrio, best known for icon Hello Kitty
and home to many more characters including Chococat, My Melody, and Keroppi, celebrated its 50th anniversary in August 2010. Today, over 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In the Western Hemisphere Sanrio character-branded products are sold in upwards of 12,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over Sanrio Boutique stores.
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...
Inc. as well as the company’s signature characters.
Nakajima USA has produced and distributed lifestyle products for brands including Angry Little Girls, Harajuku Lovers
Harajuku Lovers
Harajuku Lovers is singer Gwen Stefani's brand of apparel, fashion accessories, and stationery launched in 2005. The concept for Harajuku Lovers revolves around the Shibuya, Tokyo area of Harajuku and the four "Harajuku Girls," Gwen Stefani's Japanese back-up dancers and entourage .Unlike Stefani's...
and Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Nakajima USA operates in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Francisco. The stores division, sales, marketing, finance and operations are based in Los Angeles, while warehouse facilities, customer service, credit and merchandise control and based in San Francisco.
History
Nakajima Corporation- Founded in 1919
- CEO: Shinji Nakajima
- Employees: 75 in Japan; 360 in the United States
- Related Company: Partner Corporation, Nakajima USA, Inc.
1919: Founder and CEO Koichi Nakajima started celluloid Toy Plush in Kameido, Koto-ku in Japan
1945: Office moved from Kameido, Koto-ku to Chuo, Edogawa-ku where it is currently located
1953: Company organization changed to corporation
1953: Start producing inflatable vinyl toys
1959: Trade name changed to Nakajima Seisakusho.
1962: License contract with Walt Disney Company, produced floating ring, floating boat, and kids pool
1986: New head office building at 1-7-8 Chuo Edogawa-ku established
1988: Founds partner corporation Nakajima USA. Begins license contract with Sanrio.
1991: Trade name changed to Nakajima Corporation
1996: New organization with the new CEO Shinji Nakajima begins
In April 2004, Sanrio Co. Ltd., expanded its license to Nakajima USA to include all categories of products for US Sanrio Boutique Stores and specialty gift retailers.
Nakajima USA currently assumes responsibility for the US boutique and retail stores business to include 49 independently run Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...
stores, 47 Nakajima USA corporate-owned Sanrio stores, and the wholesale gift business to include 2000+ accounts nationwide. Today, Nakajima USA is Sanrio’s principle licensee and its primary partner for the Specialty Retail Channel in the US.
Sanrio, best known for icon Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
and home to many more characters including Chococat, My Melody, and Keroppi, celebrated its 50th anniversary in August 2010. Today, over 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In the Western Hemisphere Sanrio character-branded products are sold in upwards of 12,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over Sanrio Boutique stores.
Prominent Sanrio characters
- Badtz-Maru
- Charmmy Kitty
- Chococat
- Cinnamoroll
- Hello KittyHello Kittyis a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
- Keroppi
- Kuromi
- Little Twin Stars
- My Melody
- SugarbunniesSugarbunniesis a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation, in conjunction with Sanrio. The series centers around and is based on the character duo of the same name, created by Sanrio in 2004. The original series premiered on TV Tokyo and Kids Station on April 3, 2007 and ended later that year with 27...
Nakajima original characters
- Pickles the Frog
- Baby Coco
- Butacoron the Pig
Sanrio stores
Typically 1200 square feet (111.5 m²) and in major metropolitan malls, Nakajima oversees 2 kinds of Sanrio Boutique stores. Corporate stores are owned and managed directly by the company while licensed stores are owned and operated by individual store owners in the region.Flagship stores
Flagship stores are Sanrio Boutique stores over 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) that offer a wide selection of Sanrio merchandise, including limited-edition and collector items, specialty products from Japan, “Sanrio Luxe” branded high-end items, and select licensed merchandise often not found in other Sanrio Boutiques. Nakajima-operated flagship stores can be found in New York City, NY, Ala Moana, HI, San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Costa Mesa, CA, Orlando, FL, Chicago, IL, Garden State, NJ, and Houston, TX.Merchandise/products
Each Sanrio Boutique store offers a wide range of products featuring Sanrio characters including stationery, clothing, cosmetics, accessories, home furnishing, toys and candy. New products are released every month. Nakajima USA also offers its own signature characters, with a fun line of ultra-soft plush and other popular product categories.Future expansion
With the continued success of the licensed store concept, Sanrio-Nakajima hopes to focus on actively expanding its retail store operations and plans to do so primarily through the licensed store concept. Building on its numerous successful store operations in California and the west coast, Nakajima plans to bring the Sanrio Boutique store retail concept to states in the mid-west and the east coast in the very near future.External links
- Nakajima USA's official English website
- Sanrio's Official English website
- http://www.franchise.com/business-opportunity/retail-store/candy/San-Rio/company-information.cfm
- http://www.hoovers.com/company/Nakajima_Usa_Inc/rythrti-1.html
- Nakajima Japan's official website
- Sanrio Japan's official website
- http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/sanrioluxe?ref=ts
- http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/hellokitty?ref=ts