Japan’s consumer electronics retailers Yamada Holdings and Edion Corp are planning to merge, the companies said on Thursday, in a move to create a giant chain with combined sales of around 2.5 trillion yen ($15.6 billion).
Both companies indicated that their boards will meet on Friday to review the plan and discuss the proposal. They did not disclose the terms of the merger.
If completed, the deal would mark a significant consolidation in Japan’s consumer electronics retail sector, which is facing pressures from e-commerce competition, demographic shifts and thinning margins.
The Nikkei newspaper said earlier in the day that the two companies plan to set up a holding company under which Yamada and Edion would operate. Combined sales of the two companies would be more than double those of peer Bic Camera, which reported sales of 974.4 billion yen for the year ended August 2025, the report said.
Yamada and Edion are also expected to overhaul their traditional business model, which primarily relies on products supplied by appliance manufacturers, and focus on developing their private-label offerings.
However, the merger, which will be scrutinized by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, could face hurdles in complying with antitrust laws, particularly in western Japan, where the companies’ store networks overlap.
If the merger is realised, it would be the industry’s largest restructuring since 2012, when Yamada Denki, Yamada Holdings’ predecessor, acquired Best Denki and Bic Camera acquired Kojima, the report added.
Reuters
