Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) has acquired BIGI HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. ("BIGI HD", Head Office: Meguro-ku, Tokyo, President: Masato Tanaka) as a wholly owned subsidiary. BIGI HD owns a number of Japan's leading apparel brands, including Papas, martinique, MOGA, and MEN'S BIGI.

Since initially acquiring a 33.4% stake in BIGI HD in 2018, Mitsui has contributed to increasing the company's corporate value through support for the expansion of its e-commerce business, the development of overseas business of its brands including PINK HOUSE, and the introduction of JOHN SMEDLEY, a long-established British knitwear brand. In order to achieve further growth in BIGI HD's core apparel business and to expand into related business areas, such as fashion accessories, Mitsui has now acquired 66.6% of BIGI HD shares held by the MSD 1st Investment Limited Partnership managed by MSD Investments Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Hiroshi Yasuda), thereby bringing its total shareholding to 100%.

Founded in 1970, BIGI HD has used its outstanding creativity to go beyond the apparel business and introduce a diverse range of new brands. During a history spanning over half a century, it has developed a variety of nationwide sales channels in Japan. Through its line-up of around 40 brands, it has helped a wide range of consumers to express their "world views". In recent years, the spread of social media and other factors have accelerated the emergence of a consumer behavior pattern whereby individuals express their personal philosophies and lifestyles as their world views. There is also greater respect nowadays for personal individuality. Mitsui aims to achieve further growth for BIGI HD as a lifestyle company by combining BIGI HD's strengths, such as its creativity, sales channels, and customer base, with Mitsui's comprehensive capabilities, including cross-industrial collaboration, business management, DX expertise, and its domestic and international networks.

Mitsui has identified "Wellness Ecosystem Creation" as one of its key strategic initiatives in its Medium-term Management Plan 2026 and endeavors to contribute to quality improvement of today's increasingly diverse consumer lifestyles. Mitsui sees its acquisition of BIGI HD as a way to realize richer and brighter lives for people by enhancing health and well-being through fashion and other kinds of lifestyle business in global markets, especially in Asia.

Company Profile

BIGI HOLDINGS brand outlets (Papas, martinique, JOHN SMEDLEY, MOGA)

Men's BIGI Store

JOHN SMEDLEY