User:Jddana/Nakajima USA

Nakajima USA, Inc.
Company type	Private
Founded	1919
Founder	Koichi Nakajima
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Website	http://www.nakajimausa.com

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, California. Warehouse facilities, customer service, credit and merchandise control and based in San Francisco, California.

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 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, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. August 2010 marks the golden anniversary for the worldwide lifestyle brand that was founded on the “small gift, big smile” philosophy -- that a small gift can bring a big smile to people of all ages. 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

Nakajima Original Characters

Nakajima Company Owned Sanrio Store Locations

Rockingham, New Hampshire
Palisades, New York
Pleasant Lane, New Hampshire
Alderwood, Washington
Northbridge, Illinois
Broward, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
Mall of New Hampshire, New Hampshire
Mall of America, Minnesota
Pioneer Place, Oregon
Washington Square, Oregon
Trumbull, Connecticut
Bellevue, Washington
Sherman Oaks, California
Garden State, New Jersey
Wellington, Florida
Northlake, North Carolina
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Connecticut Post, Connecticut
South Center, Washington
Woodfield, Illinois
Tampa, Florida
Serramonte, California
Antelope Valley, California
Japantown, San Francisco
Chula Vista, California
Macarthur, Virginia
South Towne, Utah
Aventura, Florida
San Antonio, Texas
Valley Fair, California
SF Center, California
Houston, Texas
Japanese Village, California
Costa Mesa, California
Millenia, Florida
Ala Moana, Hawaii
Fashion Mall, Nevada

Nakajima Company Owned Sanrio Outlet Store Locations

Concord Mills, North Carolina
St Louis Mills, Missouri
Great Lakes, Missouri
Gilroy, California
Katy Mills, Texas
Colorado Mills, Colorado
Opry Mills, Tennessee
Grapevine Mills, Texas
Arizona Mills, Arizona
Vacaville, California

Sanrio Stores

Typically 1,200 Square Feet 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 1,500 square feet 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.