What Welcome does

Welcome Co., Ltd. (株式会社ウェルカム, WELCOME GROUP) is a Tokyo-based private lifestyle and food-design company that operates a portfolio of more than 10 retail, dining, and cultural brands in Japan. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, the group runs approximately 1,800 employees across two divisions: a Brand Business encompassing DEAN & DELUCA (premium food market and café, in Japan since 2003), HAY (Danish furniture retail/wholesale under license since 2017), CIBONE (curated design retail, with flagships in Omotesando and GINZA SIX plus a Brooklyn, NY location opened in 2022), SFT museum shop at the National Art Center, Toranomon Distillery (craft gin), TODAY'S SPECIAL, GOOD CHEESE GOOD PIZZA, curd, REVIVE KITCHEN THREE, VALLEY PARK STAND, TWELVE GARDENS, and TWELVE ON THE PARK; and a Creative Business that produces urban-development and project-production work for partners such as Mori Building (Toranomon Yokocho food hall) and Mitsui Fudosan (sequence MIYASHITA PARK hotel concept).

The company makes money through direct retail sales across owned brand stores and cafés, e-commerce platforms (DEAN & DELUCA, HAY Japan, CIBONE, SFT, Toranomon Distillery online stores), wholesale distribution of licensed brands (HAY), restaurant and food-service operations, a semi-annual DEAN & DELUCA MAGAZINE (1,599 JPY per issue), and creative/professional-services revenue from urban-development production contracts. Pricing is uniformly unit-based across the portfolio — for example, 4,400 JPY for DEAN & DELUCA afternoon tea experiences and 6,490–9,900 JPY for Toranomon Distillery anniversary gins. Distribution is multi-channel, combining 30+ DEAN & DELUCA locations, department-store and Tsutaya Books pop-up partnerships (61 pop-up events across 30 cities from 2020–2023 reaching 370,000+ customers), and dedicated online storefronts. End customers are predominantly Japanese lifestyle-, design-, and gourmet-conscious urban consumers, supplemented by enterprise creative-services clients in real estate and hospitality.

Operationally, the group is privately held with no parent company, no public listing, and only one disclosed investment round (Oisix Ra Daichi, 2019). Strategic emphasis is on deepening the brand ecosystem through new product formats (capsule coffee with UCC, craft gin), category extensions (wine JV with Nakajima Do, cheese-focused curd), and selective internationalization (CIBONE Brooklyn). The company has no disclosed proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, or patents; its competitive position rests on brand equity built over 20+ years, multi-channel retail reach, and demonstrated creative-production talent.

Name

Welcome

Legal name

株式会社ウェルカム (WELCOME Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://welcome.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Welcome (WELCOME GROUP) is a Tokyo-based private lifestyle and food-design company operating 10+ retail, dining, and cultural brands — including DEAN & DELUCA, HAY, CIBONE, SFT, and Toranomon Distillery — for design- and gourmet-conscious urban consumers in Japan, alongside a Creative Business producing urban-development projects for real-estate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lifestyle Retail and Food Service

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers (4491), Home Furnishings Retailers (44912)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700), Wholesale-Furniture & Home Furnishings (5020)

akta.pro primary industry

Prepared Foods & Catering-Focused Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home Décor, Housewares & Gifts Distribution (CRAOAFAB)

Keywords

• Premium food retail
• Lifestyle retail brands
• Design furniture distribution
• Restaurant and cafe operations
• Urban development production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Direct retail sales through owned brand stores including DEAN & DELUCA market/cafe locations, HAY furniture and accessories stores, CIBONE lifestyle stores, SFT museum shops, and restaurant concepts like REVIVE KITCHEN THREE and TWELVE ON THE PARK.
2. E-commerce/Online Store: Multiple online stores for each brand including DEAN & DELUCA, HAY Japan, CIBONE, SFT, Toranomon Distillery, and others offering direct-to-consumer sales of products.
3. Wholesale/Distribution: HAY brand operates both retail and wholesale distribution in Japan since 2017. Products distributed through multiple retail channels including department stores.
4. Restaurant/Food Service: Food service operations including DEAN & DELUCA cafes, REVIVE KITCHEN THREE, TWELVE ON THE PARK, and Toranomon Distillery restaurant.
5. Publishing: DEAN & DELUCA MAGAZINE publication, issued semi-annually, priced at 1,599 yen per issue. Published by Welcome Co., Ltd.
6. Creative/Urban Development: Creative business unit produces urban development projects including Toranomon Yokocho (food alley), sequence MIYASHITA PARK hotel, and TOKYO!!! retail concept at Tokyo Station.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Welcome Co., Ltd. operates and curates a portfolio of premium lifestyle brands spanning food retail (DEAN & DELUCA markets and cafes), contemporary design furniture (HAY Japan), art and design retail (CIBONE, SFT museum shop), craft spirits (Toranomon Distillery gin), and restaurants (GOOD CHEESE GOOD PIZZA, TWELVE GARDENS, TWELVE ON THE PARK, REVIVE KITCHEN THREE). Through its Creative Business, it provides urban-development, hotel-concept, and retail-space production services to major Japanese real-estate developers.

Product overview

Welcome Co., Ltd. operates a diversified portfolio of lifestyle and food-related brands and services in Japan. The company operates through two main divisions: Brand Business (ブランド事業) managing 11 retail and dining sub-brands, and Creative Business (クリエイティブ事業) providing urban development and project production services. Brand portfolio includes DEAN & DELUCA (premium food market/cafe), HAY (Danish furniture retail), CIBONE (art and design retail), SFT (museum shop), 虎ノ門蒸留所 (artisan gin distillery), GOOD CHEESE GOOD PIZZA (pizza restaurant), TODAY'S SPECIAL (lifestyle goods), TWELVE GARDENS and TWELVE ON THE PARK (dining), VALLEY PARK STAND, curd, and REVIVE KITCHEN THREE (Japanese vegetable cuisine). Supporting digital platforms include multiple online stores for e-commerce and DEAN & DELUCA MAGAZINE for content publishing. Creative Business produces urban development projects including 虎ノ門横丁 (food alley), sequence MIYASHITA PARK hotel concept, and TOKYO!!! retail space.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEAN & DELUCA: Premium food market, café, and lifestyle brand offering specialty foods, baked goods, and curated lifestyle products.
• HAY
• CIBONE
• SFT (SOUVENIR FROM TOKYO)
• TODAY'S SPECIAL
• 虎ノ門蒸留所 (Toranomon Distillery)
• GOOD CHEESE GOOD PIZZA
• TWELVE GARDENS
• TWELVE ON THE PARK
• curd
• REVIVE KITCHEN THREE
• VALLEY PARK STAND
• THE WINE STORE DEAN & DELUCA
• SFT GALLERY
• CIBONE CASE

Products and services

• DEAN & DELUCA Japan retail and cafe operations Premium food market and café brand offering specialty foods, baked goods, coffee, gifts, and curated lifestyle products through 30+ owned locations across Japan.
• HAY Japan retail and wholesale Exclusive Japan distribution of Danish contemporary furniture, accessories, and lighting from brand HAY, sold through HAY TOKYO, HAY OSAKA, online store, and wholesale channels.
• CIBONE lifestyle retail (Japan and Brooklyn) Lifestyle retail and gallery concept curating art, crafts, furniture, and design objects; flagship at GYRE Omotesando, CIBONE CASE at GINZA SIX, and CIBONE Brooklyn in New York.
• SFT (SOUVENIR FROM TOKYO) museum shop Curated museum shop at the National Art Center, Tokyo, and pop-up locations, offering Tokyo-themed design products, art books, crafts, and works by emerging designers.
• Toranomon Distillery craft gin Artisanal Japanese gin distillery producing seasonal and commemorative craft gins using locally sourced botanicals; gin range priced 6,000-10,000 JPY.
• GOOD CHEESE GOOD PIZZA restaurant Pizza restaurant specializing in fresh mozzarella and Neapolitan-style pizza using quality Japanese ingredients, with dine-in and takeaway service.
• TWELVE ON THE PARK restaurant American-Italian restaurant and bar in Shibuya, positioned as an 'adult family restaurant' offering seasonal ingredients and park views from breakfast through dinner.
• TWELVE GARDENS restaurant Bar and grill restaurant offering American-Italian cuisine with seasonal ingredients and views of seasonal urban scenery in Tokyo.
• REVIVE KITCHEN THREE restaurant Japanese vegetable cuisine (Modern Shojin) restaurant in Hibiya based on '身土不二' philosophy, focusing on local Japanese ingredients, seasonality, and mindful eating.
• TODAY'S SPECIAL lifestyle goods and food store Lifestyle retail store offering household goods, kitchen tools, tableware, and seasonal items that enhance daily living and culinary experiences.
• curd cheese-focused retail brand Specialty retail brand offering cheese-focused lifestyle products and dairy goods.
• THE WINE STORE DEAN & DELUCA (joint venture with Nakajima Do) Wine specialty store operated as a joint venture (THE VINE Co., Ltd.) with Nakajima Dooten in the Azabu-Juban area of Tokyo.
• Creative Business (urban-development and concept production) Urban-development, hotel-concept, and retail-space production services provided to real-estate developers such as Mori Building (Toranomon Yokocho) and Mitsui Fudosan (sequence MIYASHITA PARK), leveraging Welcome's in-house creative, planning, and operational capabilities.
• DEAN & DELUCA MAGAZINE Semi-annual self-published magazine featuring food culture, recipes, producer stories, and lifestyle content; sold at 1,599 yen (tax included) per issue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 370,000+ customers served through pop-up events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• UCC上島珈琲 (UCC Kamakura Coffee)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Welcome and UCC co-developed the DRIP POD YOUBI capsule coffee machine, a DEAN & DELUCA special edition. UCC provides the capsule system technology while DEAN & DELUCA provides brand and design direction. Original capsule development planned for 2024.
• 株式会社中島董商店 (Nakajima Do)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Welcome established joint venture company 'THE VINE' with Nakajima Do to operate THE WINE STORE DEAN & DELUCA in Azabu-juban area.
• ADI (Modern Nepal cuisine)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with ADI chef Adhikari Kanchhan on Nepal Timur Pepper gin product. Toranomon Distillery used Timor pepper from Nepal to create unique seasonal gin.
• Tokyo Biennale 2023 / TOKYO ART FARMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Toranomon Distillery participated in Tokyo Biennale 2023's TOKYO ART FARM event, selling limited edition gin developed with artist Ayako Suwa.
• 蔦屋書店 / TSUUTAYA (CCC)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023DEAN & DELUCA operated POP UP STORES at 27 Tsutaya Books and TSUTAYA locations nationwide, featuring DEAN & DELUCA MAGAZINE back issues and products.
• 認定特定非活動法人ハンズオン東京 (Hands On Tokyo)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023DEAN & DELUCA participated in Hands On Tokyo's LIVES Kitchen project, designing food truck and promotional tools for the project's rebranding, featuring lunch boxes developed with professional chefs.
• 森ビル (Mori Building)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022WELCOME GROUP partnered with Mori Building for the Toranomon Yokocho urban development project. Welcome provided overall creative direction and continues to manage anniversary events, graphic design, decorations, and social media content for the food alley located at Toranomon Hills Business Tower 3F.
• 三井不動産 (Mitsui Fudosan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Welcome developed the sequence MIYASHITA PARK hotel brand for Mitsui Fudosan's new hotel brand 'sequence'. Welcome provided comprehensive creative direction for the mixed-use hotel combining park, commercial, and accommodation facilities near Shibuya Station.
• HAY (Danish furniture brand)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2017Welcome Group established partnership agreement with Danish design brand HAY in May 2017, handling domestic retail and wholesale operations in Japan. HAY Japan business launched January 2017.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Baycrew's Group: Japanese multi-brand lifestyle operator running apparel and lifestyle retail brands (JOURNAL STANDARD, IENA, etc.) plus select food/cafe concepts. Comparable as a Japanese multi-brand lifestyle platform with shared retail/cafe strategy.
• Culture Convenience Club (Tsutaya/CCC): Japanese lifestyle platform operating Tsutaya bookstores, T-SITE lifestyle complexes, and T-POINT loyalty. Directly comparable as a multi-concept Japanese lifestyle operator, and an active DEAN & DELUCA pop-up partner across 27 locations.
• Kaldi Coffee Farm: Japan's largest specialty food and imported goods retailer with nationwide store footprint. Directly comparable to DEAN & DELUCA's specialty food market/cafe format.
• Felissimo Corporation: Japanese lifestyle brand and curated product company spanning apparel, home, and food. Comparable as a Japan-based curated lifestyle platform targeting design-conscious consumers.
• Ryohin Keikaku (Muji): Japanese lifestyle brand operator with extensive retail footprint spanning household goods, apparel, and food (Muji Meals). Comparable as a Japanese lifestyle platform intersecting design, home, and food retail.
• TEA's Company (Afternoon Tea): Japanese lifestyle retailer and cafe chain combining curated home goods, kitchenware, and dining experiences. Directly comparable to Welcome's DEAN & DELUCA cafe and lifestyle retail concept.
• United Arrows: Japanese select shop operator running multiple curated lifestyle and apparel brands (United Arrows, Beauty & Youth, green label relaxing). Comparable as a multi-brand lifestyle curator serving design-conscious urban consumers.
• Tomorrowland: Japanese select shop operator running multiple lifestyle and apparel brands with cafe/restaurant concepts. Comparable as a design-led lifestyle brand curator with attached food service.

Broad incumbents

• Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings: Japan's leading department store group with extensive food halls, lifestyle retail, and corporate partnerships. Comparable as a major Japanese lifestyle retail platform that partners with Welcome on DEAN & DELUCA pop-ups.

Others

• HAY APS: Danish contemporary furniture and lifestyle brand that licenses Welcome to operate HAY Japan. Comparable as the licensor and original creator of one of Welcome's anchor brands, relevant for understanding brand strategy and product roadmap alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/welcomegroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/welcome__work/?hl=ja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Welcome