ITOCHU Announces Acquisition of Master License Rights of the RIZAP Brand

June 30, 2016

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it signed an agreement for the master license rights of the RIZAP brand in apparel and accessories with Kenkou Corporation, Inc. (headquartered in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Ken Seto, President & CEO; hereinafter “Kenkou Corporation”).

Kenkou Corporation has a mission to safely provide products and services that inspire dreams, surprise and excitement in customers and contribute to good health in its customers. Its core enterprise, RIZAP, the gym for personal training, has been much discussed in recent years because of its system of committing to producing results with a custom-designed program under the supervision of physicians and nationally registered dietitians, with the support of complete one-on-one training in a private room.

ITOCHU is proactive in promoting employee health initiatives. Its main initiative is reforming workstyles, such its “morning-focused work system.” The Japanese market has also recently seen a trend emphasizing sports and increased health-consciousness with the expectation that the number of active people will expand with the approach of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. Under these circumstances, ITOCHU considered that the idea of featuring RIZAP as the brand that symbolizes good health would stimulate new demand and decided to sign the agreement, as described above. This agreement is intended to expand the business of sportswear and underwear, among others, in the Japanese market and strongly promote the image of the RIZAP brand, the original personal training gym, aiming for sales of two billion yen in three years, based on retail prices.

Understanding Kenkou Corporation’s vision that Kenkou (good health) shall be recognized as a universal language , ITOCHU will take actions to increase RIZAP brand recognition and enhance its value beyond the business, under the license for apparel and accessories as described above, to create organic synergy effects in the consumer-related sector, together with Kenkou Corporation, which has been aggressively expanding its business under the keyword Kenkou.

  • *
    • Kenkou Corporation, Inc. change from a holding company upon transfer of its beauty and health food mail-order business into the newly established Kenkou Corporation around July 1.
      The company will change its name to RIZAP GROUP, Inc.