Centralized management of Moomin licensing through the establishment of RBJ

「At a meeting of the board of directors held on 13 July 2023, the Company resolved to transfer all shares of RBJ held by ㈱ムーミン物語 to MATSUYA CO.,LTD. Based on this resolution, ㈱ムーミン物語 executed a share transfer agreement on the same date and transferred the shares on 14 July 2023. As a result, RBJ will be excluded from the scope of the equity method from the fourth-quarter consolidated accounting period.」

「Because ㈱ライツ・アンド・ブランド, which recorded licensing-related revenue of ¥491 million in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year, will be excluded from the scope of consolidation and included in the scope of the equity method from the current first-quarter consolidated accounting period, its licensing results are not recorded in this segment but as equity in earnings of affiliates under non-operating income and expenses.」

「From the following consolidated fiscal year, beginning 1 October 2022, RBJ will be excluded from the scope of consolidation and become an equity-method affiliate of the Company. Its operating results will be reflected in the consolidated income statement as equity in earnings of affiliates.」

「In licensing-related operations, licensees’ sales of Moomin products increased as the fashion field, centered on casual wear, expanded and sales of magazines with premiums grew, leading to higher licensing income. As a result, licensing-related revenue was ¥1,390 million, up 2.8% year on year. In addition, to establish a foundation for medium- to long-term growth in licensing-related operations, the Company is preparing to build a unified CRM platform for data-driven marketing and is considering its branding strategy.」

「In licensing-related operations, licensees’ sales of Moomin products increased as the fashion field, centered on casual wear, expanded and sales of magazines with premiums grew, leading to higher licensing income. As a result, licensing-related revenue was ¥988 million, up 6.3% year on year.」

「In licensing-related operations, licensees’ sales of Moomin products increased, particularly in the fashion field. As a result, licensing-related revenue was ¥491 million, up 31.8% from the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.」

「The board of directors of ㈱ムーミン物語 (consolidated subsidiary) resolved to enter into a licensing agreement with its consolidated subsidiary ㈱ライツ・アンド・ブランド and executed the agreement on 1 July 2021.” “Permission relating to the manufacture, sale and advertising of Moomin character products at Moominvalley Park and its official website, among other matters” “1 April 2021 to 31 March 2025.」

「For Moomin branding, the Company has supported the nationwide touring exhibition Moomin Exhibition THE ART AND THE STORY since April 2019. During the current first quarter, it was held in Sapporo and Kumamoto, and from January 2021 it has been held in Shizuoka. In addition, despite restrictions on event activities due to COVID-19, the Company remained active by developing various initiatives in cooperation with licensees. Licensing business revenue was ¥373 million, down 0.8% year on year, recovering to the same level as before COVID-19.」

「As a result, licensing business revenue was ¥1,427 million, up 5.4% from the previous consolidated fiscal year.」

「As a result, 23 new contract partners were acquired from October 2019 onward, and licensing business revenue was ¥1,065 million, up 13.8% year on year.」

「Since April 2019, the original-art exhibition Moomin Exhibition THE ART AND THE STORY has toured nationwide, attracting approximately 240,000 visitors across 4 venues in Tokyo, Oita, Ishikawa and Nagoya. The new television anime series Moominvalley’s Friends, for which the company holds the broadcast rights, has continued to air on NHK BS4K from April 2019 to the present, including rebroadcasts. Online distribution and BD/DVD sales and rentals also began during the current second-quarter consolidated cumulative period. As attention grew following the opening of Moominvalley Park, 17 new contract partners were acquired from October 2019 onward, and licensing business revenue was ¥778 million, up 28.2% year on year.」

「Rights and Brands Co., Ltd. OY MOOMIN CHARACTERS LTD. (original rights holder) Exclusive sublicensing rights for Moomin characters in Japan. This agreement took effect on 1 January 2020 and, from 1 January 2025 onward, will terminate 3 years after either contracting party gives notice of termination.” “㈱ムーミン物語 ㈱ライツ・アンド・ブランズ Permission relating to the manufacture, sale and advertising of Moomin character products at Moominvalley Park and its official website, among other matters. 1 August 2019 to 31 March 2021.」

「In conjunction with the opening of Moominvalley Park, the nationwide touring exhibition Moomin Exhibition THE ART AND THE STORY began in April 2019. More than 20,000 visitors attended the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art venue in Ishikawa during the exhibition, and cumulative attendance, including the Tokyo and Oita venues, exceeded 200,000.」

「Rights and Brands Co., Ltd., in which ㈱ムーミン物語 holds a 44.5% stake, was included in the scope of consolidation from the first-quarter consolidated accounting period because of its increased materiality. The company operates as a sublicensee that has been granted exclusive rights to authorize the use of Moomin characters in Japan. In conjunction with the opening of Moominvalley Park, the nationwide touring exhibition Moomin Exhibition THE ART AND THE STORY began in April 2019, as did broadcasting on NHK BS4K of the new television anime series Moominvalley’s Friends through the sale of the animation broadcast rights held by the company.」

「The company operates as a sublicensee that has been granted exclusive rights to authorize the use of Moomin characters in Japan. In addition, it began selling broadcast rights for Moomin animation held by the company from the current second-quarter consolidated accounting period, and broadcasting on NHK began in April 2019.」

「Rights and Brands Co., Ltd., established in March 2018 to centrally manage Moomin licensing in Japan, was included in the scope of consolidation from the current first-quarter consolidated accounting period because of its increased materiality. The company has been granted exclusive sublicensing rights for Moomin characters in Japan and conducts sublicensing operations. Going forward, it plans to expand its business scope into content development and licensing management for original products at Moominvalley Park.」

「Rights and Brands Co., Ltd., an affiliate established in March 2018, is currently putting its operating structure in place. As its conversion into a consolidated subsidiary came into view, the Company made its inclusion in the scope of consolidation from the fiscal year ending September 2019 onward, together with synergies between the theme park and licensing businesses, a premise of its management plan.」

「On 9 March 2018, ㈱ムーミン物語 established Rights and Brands Co., Ltd. (RBJ), which centrally manages Moomin licensing in Japan, together with ㈱タトル・モリ エージェンシー, Japan’s largest translation and publishing rights agency, which has managed Moomin licensing since 1989, and Moomin Characters Oy Ltd, which owns all copyrights related to Moomin. RBJ became an affiliate of the Company.」