Small M&A in Japan: individual buyers and succession — 2/3
Small M&A and succession cases in Japan
25–48 of 60
Apparel EC Business (Fully Outsourced) Listed at ¥2,160,000 and Sold (About 6.3 Months of Monthly Revenue)
From Rakko M&A's public closed deals (batch 2). An apparel EC business with outsourced operations sold 4 days after being listed at an asking price of ¥2,160,000. We record the going rates of Japan's individual-scale M&A market from the listed data.
A nail salon with 1,500 customers and 10 staff was taken over for 2 million yen. What an administrative scrivener prioritized above all
An administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) who went independent handling subsidy application proxy work acquired a nail salon in Mie Prefecture for 2 million yen. With over 1,500 customers and 10 staff, the top priority for the takeover was "retaining the employees." After visiting the site 3 times to interview every staff member individually, the business turned profitable by the third month.
Amazon Seller Account (10 Years of Operation) Listed at ¥1,380,000 and Sold
From Rakko M&A's public closed deals (batch 2). An Amazon seller account with 10 years of operation sold 13 days after being listed at an asking price of ¥1,380,000. We record the going rates of Japan's individual-scale M&A market from the listed data.
Warary!: A Comedy Live Show Search Service Built Solo for 2.5 Years, Then Sold to a Company
A case where the comedy live show search service "Warary!" was run solo for two and a half years and sold to a company in 2020. The sale price is undisclosed, but the developer has published his rule of thumb — "monthly profit x 24 months + goodwill" — along with his criteria for deciding whether to sell or keep going.
Spiritual YouTube Channel Listed at ¥1,200,000 (About 6.9 Months of Monthly Revenue) and Sold
From Rakko M&A's public list of closed deals. A spiritual YouTube channel was listed at an asking price of ¥1,200,000, about 6.9 months of monthly revenue, and found a buyer. We record the going rates in Japan's individual-scale M&A market based on the listed data.
A dance school with ~1,500 members was handed off after screening dozens of candidates. The turning point was "the results of a cancer screening"
Ayaka Saito founded the adult-beginner dance school "Carnelian" at 25 with 500,000 yen in capital. A 2020 cancer screening that found high-grade dysplasia pushed her to decide on succession, and after negotiating with dozens of candidates she handed the business to an inexperienced individual.
Psychology & Trivia YouTube Channel Listed at ¥4,800,000 (About 8.6 Months of Monthly Revenue) and Sold
From Rakko M&A's public list of closed deals. A psychology & trivia YouTube channel was listed at an asking price of ¥4,800,000, about 8.6 months of monthly revenue, and found a buyer. We record the going rates in Japan's individual-scale M&A market based on the listed data.
RPG Game App Listed at ¥1,750,000 (About 7 Months of Monthly Revenue) and Sold
From Rakko M&A's public list of closed deals. An RPG game app was listed at an asking price of ¥1,750,000, about 7 months of monthly revenue, and found a buyer. We record the going rates in Japan's individual-scale M&A market based on the listed data.
In a city with a 29.9% child poverty rate — an individual takes over a night nursery in Naha, 2024
Milky Nursery, a night-shift nursery in a Naha entertainment district, was transferred in April 2024 to a newly established individual-owned company. The price was undisclosed, but the process from near-collapse to signing is on record.
Compilation-Style YouTube Channel Listed at ¥3,000,000 (About 10.8 Months of Monthly Revenue) and Sold
From Rakko M&A's public list of closed deals. A compilation-style YouTube channel was listed at an asking price of ¥3,000,000, about 10.8 months of monthly revenue, and found a buyer. We record the going rates in Japan's individual-scale M&A market based on the listed data.
A sole-proprietor apparel wholesaler turned away by a brokerage got 30+ inquiries right after listing. Succession completed in under 2 months
A sole proprietor dealing in design-registered women's apparel goods was turned down by a major M&A brokerage over scale and fees, then registered on TRANBI on the recommendation of a business handover support center. Inquiries came in immediately, eventually reaching 30+, and a multi-million-yen transfer closed in under 2 months with 3 meetings.
A 51-year-old company employee took over a Saitama salon for 2 million yen. The conditions that made remote management from Nagoya work
A 51-year-old company employee living in Nagoya acquired a women-only salon in Urawa, Saitama for 2 million yen. Monthly rent was about 120,000 yen with 2 female staff. For six months he did nothing but browse listings, but a shift came after his first offer, on a cram school, fell through — the second deal closed in about two months.
A 64-year-old mirror factory with 7 employees found a third-party successor: local outreach fell flat, a nationwide listing matched instantly
Ozaki Mirror Industries, a 7-employee aluminum mirror processor in Osaka founded in 1960, was sold to MARUJOU Co. in Aichi in September 2024. Local referrals drew little response, but an inquiry came in right after listing on Batonz nationwide. The transfer price wasn't disclosed.
In a market where 32 dealers shrank to 12, a 35-year-old took over a wholesale business after six months of unpaid on-site training
A 35-year-old former employee of a major-affiliated company took over "Ogura Shoten," a fish wholesaler at Okayama Central Wholesale Market. Wholesale dealers had fallen from 32 companies to 12, with revenue down to a quarter or a third of peak. The buyer spent about half a year in unpaid on-site training after leaving his job.
A 30-year appointment-only eyewear shop changes hands: across the sudden death of the intermediary, 3 years and 8 months from first inquiry to closing
An appointment-only eyewear shop in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, that had run for 30 years, was transferred to Mimoto Co., Ltd., which operates three stores in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture. After the initial inquiry in November 2020, three candidates found through a no-name database fell through, and in 2022 the intermediary staffer suddenly passed away. After switching to Batonz, the deal closed in July 2024. The transfer price is undisclosed.
A 2-employee marketing firm bought a coffee stand — decided before hiring, and stayed closed for 5 months
Ansatz, a 2-employee digital marketing firm growing roughly 150% a year, acquired "de.coffee roasters," a decaf-focused coffee stand in Nihonbashi. Because the decision was made before hiring staff, the shop stayed closed for about 5 months, but revenue after reopening returned to roughly the same level as before the acquisition.
Taking over a grilled-fish specialty restaurant via M&A — one month of handover, six months chasing the floor, and the lunch sales that finally moved
A restaurant company running a dozen-plus outlets divested a Tokyo grilled-fish specialty restaurant as part of "selection and concentration"; an experienced individual took it over in January 2024. Sales matched the financial statements from day one, but the one-month handover and insufficient equipment checks turned out to be miscalculations.
A 50-something engineer used his severance pay to buy 40+ vending machines: registered in January 2024, took over in August, targeting double the sales
Tsuneyuki Inoue, a 50-something manufacturing engineer in Yamagata, acquired a 40+ machine vending operation from Norikichi Honten in Niigata. He registered on an M&A site in January 2024, met in June, trained in July, and took over formally in August, funding it with his severance pay and aiming to double sales in two years. The transfer price wasn't disclosed.
Lea, a Tool That Turns LINE Official Accounts Into E-Commerce Stores, Sold to a Buyer Found Through an Online Salon
Lea, an indie SaaS providing e-commerce features on top of LINE official accounts, was sold to INFLU Inc. in July 2022 (price undisclosed). The buyer was found through a paid online salon — a record of an unusual route: "walk into the place where the market is booming yourself."
CLOUD PAPER: Shingo Irie’s Other Sale — an Estimate/Invoice SaaS Sold via M&A Two Months After the MENTA Transfer
After transferring MENTA to Lancers, Shingo Irie also sold his cloud estimate and invoicing service "CLOUD PAPER" via M&A in December 2020 (price undisclosed). A rare Japanese record of a single indie developer executing two exits in the same year.
A Side-Business Smartphone Lens Filter Brand Sold in Two Months After Listing, Prompted by a Job Change. The Conditions for a "Perfect-Score Sale"
THE emo, a smartphone camera lens filter brand Renpei Taniguchi launched as a side business in 2020, grew by winning fans through crowdfunding and social media. Facing a job-change deadline, he listed on multiple platforms, met with 4 companies, and transferred the business to Mediair Inc. in under two months. His own verdict: "a perfect score."
STARBAR Okinawa: Selling a Thriving Bar to Fund a Shabu-Shabu Chain — a “Strategic Fundraising” M&A
STARBAR, an upscale bar in Okinawa City serving U.S. military-affiliated customers, was transferred to Aichi-based trading company Pembroke while still a thriving business with healthy finances and high margins. The goal was not retreat but securing funds for multi-store expansion of a new shabu-shabu concept — a real example of "sell the profitable store and bet on the next one" as strategic fundraising.
A Grad Student Sells His Programming School Upon Taking a Job. A Third Exit That Is Neither "Shutting Down" Nor "Cashing Out"
Asulab, a programming school for elementary and junior high students with two campuses, founded by Tokyo University of Science grad student Koretsu Takai with his study-abroad savings, was transferred via Batonz to EARTH WORKS, an operator of individual tutoring schools, when Takai took a job at a major IT company. About 20 inquiries came in. "M&A is not cashing out — it is a rational strategy."
A 60-year-old photo studio passed to a couple in their 30s: a client list of 6,000 and 300 costumes, contracted in about a month once serious talks began
Chuo Photo Studio in Arakawa, over 60 years old with a client list of 6,000+ and 300+ costumes, was listed in August 2024, entered serious negotiation in early December, and signed by month's end — a deal that had failed once before, closed under the deadline of Coming-of-Age Day.