Nakazono Holdings

What Nakazono Holdings does

Nakazono Holdings (中園ホールディングス株式会社) is a privately held Japanese holding company headquartered in Kumamoto, founded in 1961 and consolidated under its current holding structure in 2013. The group operates approximately 51 subsidiaries and 1,934 employees, with the Nakazono family maintaining executive control through the chairman, vice president, and director positions.

The company's flagship operation is the White Express (ホワイト急便) dry cleaning franchise, the largest in Japan with over 4,500 stores, 258 factories, and a 17% domestic market share as of March 2024. White Express franchisees pay a 25-30% commission on monthly sales, with no royalties or deposits required. Beyond consumer cleaning, the group provides hospital-grade bedding and laundry services to approximately 100 medical institutions, hotel linen supply, regenerated industrial oil sales, cleaning factory construction, and operates the 3Q Cut haircut salon franchise (279 locations). Diversified holdings extend to real estate, agriculture (including Australian table grape production), welfare services for persons with disabilities, insurance, staffing, and the AiCT-developed LAGOO unmanned smart locker system.

The business model is fundamentally a franchise platform: revenue is generated through franchise commissions on top of centralized factory cleaning, supplemented by direct B2B contracts with hospitals and hotels, and a portfolio of adjacent service subsidiaries. Go-to-market emphasizes multi-format franchise recruitment (four White Express store formats plus beauty salon franchises), supported by international expansion initiatives targeting Southeast Asia and dual-headquarters operations opening in Tokyo in June 2026.

Name

Nakazono Holdings

Legal name

中園ホールディングス株式会社 (Nakazono Holdings Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://nakazono.holdings

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nakazono Holdings is a family-controlled Japanese holding company operating Japan's largest dry cleaning franchise (White Express, 4,500 stores, 17% market share) alongside hospital linen, beauty salons, and diversified service subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cleaning Franchise and Linen Services

NAICS

Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) (812320), Linen and Uniform Supply (81233), Linen Supply (812331)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Uniform & Linen Cleaning, Sanitization & Processing (Service-Included) (HSAJAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bed & Bath Linen Service (Sheets, Pillowcases, Bath Mats) (HSAJAMAH), Commercial/Corporate Dry Cleaning (B2B Accounts) (HSAJADAC), General Commercial Janitorial (Recurring Contract Cleaning) (BPABABAA)

Keywords

• Dry cleaning franchise
• Hospital linen supply
• Hotel linen rental
• Hair salon franchise
• Cleaning equipment manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kumamoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Franchise Commission (White Express): Franchise stores pay commission of 25-30% of monthly sales. Company provides centralized factory cleaning, distribution, marketing materials, complaint handling, and business analysis support.
2. Hospital and Hotel Linen Services: Bedding, pajamas, towels, mattresses lease and uniform laundry services for hospitals and care facilities. Linen supply for hotels including tablecloths, bedding, uniforms. Services approximately 100 medical institutions including national and public hospitals.
3. Materials and Regenerated Oil Sales: Sales of industrial regenerated heavy oil produced from recycled automotive engine oil and heavy equipment gear oils for boiler fuel. Also sells cleaning supplies, hotel/cold bath facility equipment, and laundry machinery.
4. Beauty Salon Operations: Multi-brand hair salon operation including 3Q Cut (quick quality haircut), Merry Merry (high quality), My Palette (hair color specialty), and 3Q Cut+ franchise chain.
5. Real Estate Services: Residential land development, buying/selling, and rental services through Happiness Co., Ltd.
6. Agriculture Products: Rice cultivation without pesticides, chemical fertilizers or organic fertilizers. Leeks for processed foods. Sales through Rakuten and Yahoo shopping.
7. Welfare Services: Support services for people with disabilities to work in their community through San C. Practical training and ongoing staff support.
8. Insurance Services: Damage insurance, automobile insurance, life insurance, and mutual aid products for employees, franchise stores, and owners.
9. Cleaning Factory Construction and Equipment: New construction of cleaning factories from building to administrative procedures for machine installation. Coin laundry proposals, construction, and environmental wastewater recycling systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nakazono Holdings operates a diversified multi-business portfolio centered on the White Express dry cleaning franchise (4,500 stores nationwide, 17% Japan market share) providing same-day garment cleaning services. The group also operates hospital-grade bedding and linen rental serving approximately 100 medical institutions, hotel and ryokan linen supply across 7 factories, the 3Q Cut hair salon franchise (279 locations), cleaning equipment manufacturing and factory construction, real estate, agriculture, welfare services, and insurance. Revenue is generated primarily through franchise commissions (25-30% of monthly sales), linen rental subscriptions, and direct product sales.

Product overview

Nakazono Holdings operates a diversified multi-business platform centered on its core dry cleaning franchise business White Express (ホワイト急便) with over 4,500 stores nationwide. The company functions as a holding structure managing 28+ group companies across ten business segments: cleaning services (home and industrial), hospital-grade bedding, hotel linen supply, materials/recycled oil sales, cleaning equipment manufacturing, real estate, agriculture, hairdressing/beauty (3Q CUT, Merry Merry, My Palette brands), welfare services, life support services, and insurance. Key products and services are interconnected through the Sawayaka System which integrates factory and store operations. Recent growth areas include smart cleaning services (LAGOO automated lockers), overseas expansion (Australian agriculture), and IT services (AiCT). The portfolio ranges from B2C consumer services (dry cleaning, salons) to B2B industrial services (hotel linen, hospital bedding) to real estate and agricultural operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ホワイト急便 (White Express/White Kyubin): Main cleaning franchise brand offering dry cleaning, laundry, carpet, futon, and kimono cleaning services with over 4,500 stores nationwide
• 3Q CUT (サンキューカット)
• メリィ・メリィ (Merry Merry)
• マイパレット (My Palette)
• 3QCUT+ (サンキューカットプラス)
• すまいとくらしのサポート (Sumai to Kurashi no Support)
• ココニアット (Coconiat)
• 熊本四季農園 (Kumamoto Shiki Farm)
• LAGOO (ラグー)
• ホワイト急便おそうじ事业部 (White Express Cleaning Division)

Products and services

• White Express Dry Cleaning Franchise (ホワイト急便) Japan's largest dry cleaning franchise with over 4,500 stores nationwide, offering same-day cleaning for clothing, carpets, bedding, stuffed animals, and kimonos under the Sawayaka System integrating factory processing with retail storefronts. 17% domestic market share as of March 2024.
• Hospital-Grade Bedding and Linen Service (病院基準寝具事業) Rental and laundry services for hospital-grade bedding, pajamas, towels, mattresses, and staff uniforms. Serves approximately 100 medical institutions including national and public hospitals across Japan.
• Hotel and Ryokan Linen Supply (ホープ寝具リネン事業) Linen supply services for hotels and ryokans including tablecloths, bedding, and staff uniforms. Operates 7 linen factories across Kumamoto with 20-minute delivery radius to Kumamoto city hotels from the newest Chikami Linen Factory.
• Materials and Regenerated Oil Sales (資材・再生油販売事業) Sales of industrial regenerated heavy oil produced from recycled automotive engine oil and heavy equipment gear oils for boiler fuel. Also sells cleaning supplies, hotel/cold bath facility equipment, and laundry machinery.
• Cleaning Factory Construction and Equipment (クリーニング機器関連事業) New construction of cleaning factories from building to administrative procedures for machine installation. Includes coin laundry business proposals, factory construction, and environmental wastewater recycling systems. Operated by Tetsujin Co., Ltd.
• Real Estate Services (不動産事業) Residential land development, buying/selling, and rental services focused on the Kumamoto region. Operated through Happiness Co., Ltd.
• Agricultural Products (農業事業) Cultivation of leeks for processed foods and rice without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or organic fertilizers. Products sold through Rakuten and Yahoo shopping platforms under the Kumamoto Shiki Farm brand. Also includes Australian table grape production through Nakazono Farm Australia Pty Ltd.
• Hair Salon Franchise Operations (理美容事業) Multi-brand hair salon franchise operation including 3Q Cut (haircut-only specialty, 279 total locations as of June 2024 with 95.07% franchise success rate), Merry Merry (high-quality affordable beauty), My Palette (hair color specialty), and 3Q Cut+ franchise chain. Operated by Sun Quest Co., Ltd.
• Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities (福祉事業) Welfare services supporting people with disabilities to work in their community through San C / Sun Sea Co., Ltd. Includes practical vocational training and ongoing staff support with private sector partnerships.
• Insurance Services (保険事業) Damage insurance, automobile insurance, life insurance, and mutual aid products for group employees, franchise stores, and owners. Operated by New Ocean Co., Ltd.
• Sumai to Kurashi no Support (すまいとくらしのサポート) — Home Life Support Services Integrated home life support services including hourly housework dispatch, professional house cleaning (air conditioners, range hoods), and home renovation/maintenance services for individual households.
• LAGOO Smart Cleaning Service (ラグー) Smart cleaning service with unmanned reception lockers enabling 24-hour garment drop-off and pickup. Developed and operated by AiCT Co., Ltd., the group's IT subsidiary.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17% market share in Japan's dry cleaning industry (March 2024)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 日本さわやかグループ (Japan Sawayaka Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWhite Express franchise franchisor (フランチャイザー) operating 89 companies with 258 factories nationwide. Pursues 'Contrast and Interaction' philosophy through study groups and competitions for technical and productivity improvement.
• 株式会社日本さわやかグループ (Japan Sawayaka Group) - 89社 / 258工場 franchise networkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranchise network covering Kyushu (13 companies/36 factories), Chugoku-Shikoku (7/21), Kansai (10/15), Chubu-Tokai (13/30), South Kanto (13/31), North Kanto (13/24), Tohoku-Hokkaido (11/30), and Overseas (1/1)

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lapels Dry Cleaning: Lapels is a U.S. dry cleaning franchise targeting upscale retail locations with environmentally conscious processes and a corporate-store-plus-franchise mix. It is comparable to Nakazono's White Express as a branded dry cleaning franchise model being expanded through third-party operators.
• QB House: QB House operates Japan's largest quick-cut, no-appointment hair salon franchise (1,000+ stores in Japan and overseas) targeting time-pressed consumers in stations and suburban areas. The 3Q Cut business inside Nakazono Holdings directly mirrors QB House's quick-haircut franchise concept, even though Nakazono tailors it toward suburban families.
• CD One Price Cleaners: CD One Price Cleaners is one of the largest U.S. dry cleaning franchise chains, operating centralized plant-based cleaning with flat-pricing stores. It is a direct international analogue to White Express's factory-and-store dry-cleaning franchise model.
• Poplar Co., Ltd. (ポプラ): Poplar is one of Japan's longest-established dry cleaning franchise chains, operating a centralized factory-and-store network comparable to White Express. It is a domestic direct competitor to Nakazono's White Express brand in the Japanese dry-cleaning market.
• Ash (Ash Hair Salon): Ash is a major Japanese multi-brand hair salon franchise group with hundreds of locations nationally. It competes with Nakazono's Sun Quest / 3Q Cut / Merry Merry / My Palette salon brands for franchisees and suburban customers.

Broad incumbents

• Hoshino Resorts (hotel linen / hospitality services): Hoshino Resorts operates a large Japanese hospitality portfolio with extensive in-house linen and uniform operations, plus acquisitions of smaller hotel chains. Comparable to Nakazono's hotel linen supply business to Kumamoto hotels and ryokans as a B2B demand side comparable.

Emerging players

• Kaji Clean / Clotho (家事代行/家事サービス) - Japanese home cleaning service operators: Operators of Japanese home cleaning and housekeeping dispatch services (e.g., Kurashi no Market, Kaji-taku) overlap with Nakazono's "Sumai to Kurashi no Support" business for household-cleaning dispatch, although they tend to specialize in dispatch rather than the full cleaning factory integration.
• Rinse (U.S. on-demand laundry & dry cleaning): Rinse is a U.S.-based tech-enabled laundry and dry cleaning pickup/delivery service using centralized operations. It is comparable to Nakazono's LAGOO smart cleaning format as a technology-led, convenience-oriented cleaning service business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nakazono Holdings