Worth reading
46Recurring
0–100. This measures how worthwhile something is to read, not how good or bad the company is.Direction
Improvement
Direction inferred from the company’s description.Scale
55
Year-on-year change in revenue (%)Wording
Conditional
How definitive the wording is.Contents of this document
Summary of Q&ASecond quarter of the fiscal year ending December 20269 items taken from the company’s own explanation
Financial Results Figures (The key points of this material are explained below)
Net SalesUp 55.0% year on year; 48% progress against the full-year forecast+55.0%
Operating profit¥861 million +93.0%second quarter alone
Net income¥326 million profit attributable to owners of the parent
Selling, general and administrative expensesPersonnel expenses account for approximately half of selling, general and administrative expenses. Amount and SG&A expense-to-revenue ratio: Not disclosed
Results for the three months of the current quarterOperating profit of ¥861 million, up 93% year on year. Standalone revenue and gross profit: Not disclosed
Full-year earnings forecastRevenue growth of 38.1% and gross profit growth of 38.4%. Forecast amounts by line item: Not disclosed
Progress against full-year forecast 通期の予想に対して、いまどこまで進んだかの割合です。Revenue 48%, gross profit 48% and operating profit 34%. Year-earlier progress rates for revenue and gross profit were 45% and 46%, respectively
What the company explained in this material
Self-assessment against the planThe company's self-assessment against its own plan.
Progress is on track toward achieving the full-year earnings forecast. The core businesses and the business on an organic basis are both ahead of the internal planKey points of the Q&AKey questions raised by investors at the briefing and the company's answers
- Issues Assessment of second-quarter results / Answer Revenue, gross profit and operating profit increased year on year, and progress toward achieving the full-year forecast is on track. The full-year forecast was left unchanged
- Issues Business and regional performance / Answer The Corporate Brand Support Business, D2C/EC Business and Creator Support Business grew. All regions grew, including Japan and South Korea, Southeast Asia and other regions
- Issues Impact of headcount on operating profit / Answer Headcount declined by 22 people. The company expects profit growth to continue while controlling personnel expenses through productivity improvements using AI and restraint on headcount growth
- Issues Drivers of growth in the creator-focused area of the D2C/EC Business / Answer seju's photo-booth-style bromide initiative and LYFT's steady growth contributed
Breakdown of Factors Affecting the ChangeReasons cited by the Company for the change in the figures.
The Corporate Brand Support Business, Creator Support Business, GROVE's talent management business, M&A involving 3 companies, seju's merchandise initiatives, LYFT's steady growth, and productivity improvements through the use of AI. Amounts by factor: Not disclosed
Assumptions Underlying the Business OutlookThe assumptions used by the company in preparing its forecast.
Seasonality in which performance expands from the first quarter toward the fourth quarter. Metrics from operating profit downward are weighted toward the second half. Numerical assumptions: Not disclosedNew initiatives
- Selling photo-booth-style bromides featuring seju talent through multifunction copiers at convenience stores nationwide
- Productivity improvements through the use of AI
- The definitions of employee categories were reviewed, with some categories changed from Sales, Business Development and Corporate to Delivery
Key KPIsA metric the company considers important as a management benchmark.
- Corporate Brand Support Business as a percentage of total company gross profit79 %
- Total social media followers of seju3,800 10,000 people
- Number of employees2,330 people
Segment results
- Gross profitSegmentCorporate Brand Support BusinessYear on year against the same period last year+65%
- Gross profitSegmentMarketing BusinessYear on year against the same period last year+20%
- Gross profitSegmentD2C/EC BusinessYear on year against the same period last yearUp 154% year on year; up 99% on an organic basis
- Gross profitSegmentPublisher Support BusinessYear on year against the same period last year+3%
- Gross profitSegmentCreator Support BusinessYear on year against the same period last year+43%
Number of employees
Number of Employees2,330
Change during the periodDown 22 people from the end of the first quarter, from 2,352 to 2,330
Hiring planThe company expects to continue restraining growth in headcount from the third quarter onward
Gross profit
Up 52.2% year on year; 48% progress against the full-year forecast. Margin: Not disclosed| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Document type | Summary of Q&A |
| Fiscal Period Covered | Second quarter of the fiscal year ending December 2026 |
| Net Sales | Up 55.0% year on year; 48% progress against the full-year forecast (YoY +55.0%) |
| Operating profit | ¥861 million (second quarter alone) (YoY +93.0%) |
| Net income | ¥326 million (profit attributable to owners of the parent) |
| Gross profit | Up 52.2% year on year; 48% progress against the full-year forecast. Margin: Not disclosed |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | Personnel expenses account for approximately half of selling, general and administrative expenses. Amount and SG&A expense-to-revenue ratio: Not disclosed |
| Results for the three months of the current quarter | Operating profit of ¥861 million, up 93% year on year. Standalone revenue and gross profit: Not disclosed |
| Full-year earnings forecast | Revenue growth of 38.1% and gross profit growth of 38.4%. Forecast amounts by line item: Not disclosed |
| Progress against full-year forecast | Revenue 48%, gross profit 48% and operating profit 34%. Year-earlier progress rates for revenue and gross profit were 45% and 46%, respectively |
| Self-assessment against the plan | Progress is on track toward achieving the full-year earnings forecast. The core businesses and the business on an organic basis are both ahead of the internal plan |
| Segment results | Segment Corporate Brand Support Business / Indicator Gross profit / Year on year against the same period last year +65%, Segment Marketing Business / Indicator Gross profit / Year on year against the same period last year +20%, Segment D2C/EC Business / Indicator Gross profit / Year on year against the same period last year Up 154% year on year; up 99% on an organic basis, Segment Publisher Support Business / Indicator Gross profit / Year on year against the same period last year +3%, Segment Creator Support Business / Indicator Gross profit / Year on year against the same period last year +43% |
| Breakdown of Factors Affecting the Change | The Corporate Brand Support Business, Creator Support Business, GROVE's talent management business, M&A involving 3 companies, seju's merchandise initiatives, LYFT's steady growth, and productivity improvements through the use of AI. Amounts by factor: Not disclosed |
| Key KPIs | Indicator name Corporate Brand Support Business as a percentage of total company gross profit / Value 79 % / Year on year against the same period last year Not disclosed, Indicator name Total social media followers of seju / Value 3,800 10,000 people / Year on year against the same period last year Not disclosed, Indicator name Number of employees / Value 2,330 people / Year on year against the same period last year Not disclosed |
| Number of employees | Number of Employees 2,330 / Change during the period Down 22 people from the end of the first quarter, from 2,352 to 2,330 / Hiring plan The company expects to continue restraining growth in headcount from the third quarter onward |
| Assumptions Underlying the Business Outlook | Seasonality in which performance expands from the first quarter toward the fourth quarter. Metrics from operating profit downward are weighted toward the second half. Numerical assumptions: Not disclosed |
| Key points of the Q&A | Issues Assessment of second-quarter results / Answer Revenue, gross profit and operating profit increased year on year, and progress toward achieving the full-year forecast is on track. The full-year forecast was left unchanged, Issues Business and regional performance / Answer The Corporate Brand Support Business, D2C/EC Business and Creator Support Business grew. All regions grew, including Japan and South Korea, Southeast Asia and other regions, Issues Impact of headcount on operating profit / Answer Headcount declined by 22 people. The company expects profit growth to continue while controlling personnel expenses through productivity improvements using AI and restraint on headcount growth, Issues Drivers of growth in the creator-focused area of the D2C/EC Business / Answer seju's photo-booth-style bromide initiative and LYFT's steady growth contributed |
| New initiatives | Selling photo-booth-style bromides featuring seju talent through multifunction copiers at convenience stores nationwide, Productivity improvements through the use of AI, The definitions of employee categories were reviewed, with some categories changed from Sales, Business Development and Corporate to Delivery |
Items this document does not state (13)
Ordinary incomeOperating profit marginUnit price and quantity metricsNumber of stores and locationsRisk amount incorporated into the outlookMedium-term management plan targetsFinancial targetsAnnual DividendPayout ratioAcquisition of treasury sharesCapital expendituresOrders received and order backlogMarket Size / Share
These are items the company does not state in this document. We do not leave them blank, nor fill them in from other sources or by inference.
The reasons the company gives
The company's own explanation, not something inferred from the numbers.Growth in the Corporate Brand Support Business and Creator Support Business, strong performance in GROVE's talent management business, the effects of M&A involving Sun Smile Co., Ltd., Bcode Co., Ltd. and MISM Co., Ltd., and contributions from seju's merchandise initiatives in the D2C/EC Business and LYFT's steady growth all contributed. The company also explained that productivity improvements through the use of AI and restraint on headcount growth contributed to the increase in profit.
How to read this page
This is not the documentKomori reads the disclosure the company filed and writes this summary. Figures are as stated by the company and are not audited.
Weight is not a verdictIt measures how much this changes what the company had already told the market. It is not a view on the shares.
Corrections happenIf the company reissues this disclosure, the page is rebuilt from the corrected version and the revision number moves up.