Ubell group

What Ubell group does

Ubell Group (ユウベルグループ), formerly Heiankaku Group, is a privately held Japanese ceremonial services conglomerate founded in 1965 and headquartered in Hiroshima. The company operates an integrated ceremonial mutual aid society covering weddings, funerals, marriage introduction, hotels, and lifestyle services, serving individual consumers, couples, and families primarily across 14 prefectures in western Japan — spanning the Chugoku, Kyushu, and Kansai regions. With 251-500 employees, Ubell runs a physical network of owned wedding chapels, funeral halls, and hotels, supplemented by subscription-based mutual aid funds and partnership-based marriage introduction services. The company marked its 60th anniversary in August 2025 and is in the midst of a corporate rebranding from Heiankaku Group to Ubell Group.

The business model is multi-streamed: recurring revenue comes from mutual aid society membership dues (prepaid plans members accumulate over years to redeem against future wedding and funeral services) and from subscription-based marriage introduction fees via the IBJ partnership, which gives access to a network of 109,712 members. One-time, high-value revenue is generated through wedding packages (typically ¥3M-¥5M+ per ceremony in Japan), funeral services (typically ¥1M-¥2M), and hotel/hospitality bookings. Success-based fees from marriage introductions add an additional performance-linked revenue layer. Customer segments are exclusively B2C, with no enterprise or institutional accounts.

Ubell's core "platform" is its regional physical distribution and bundled life-event service architecture rather than a technology product. The marriage introduction offering leverages the third-party IBJ matching platform (with its 109,712-member pool), while weddings, funerals, and hotels are operated as venue-based service businesses with conventional consumer-facing operations. Recent activity has emphasized densification within western Japan (new Kumamoto funeral hall), extension into adjacent lifestyle retail (Ueda Coffee Kyoto Gion branch opened June 14, 2025), and brand/community engagement (expansion of the senryu couple's contest into 2026). No proprietary AI, technology platform, or digital-native product surface is evident in the input; AI exposure is limited to consumption of IBJ's third-party matchmaking platform.

Name

Ubell group

Legal name

ユウベル株式会社 (Ubell Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://u-b.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ubell Group is a privately held Japanese ceremonial services conglomerate founded in 1965, operating an integrated mutual aid society providing weddings, funerals, marriage introduction, hotels, and lifestyle services to consumers across 14 prefectures in western Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ceremonial Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ceremony Planning & Officiant Coordination (HSACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Destination Wedding & Honeymoon All-Inclusive Resorts (THAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Ceremonial mutual aid
• Wedding venue services
• Funeral hall services
• Marriage referral services
• Ceremonial hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiroshima

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mutual Aid Society Membership (互助会): The core business model centers on a mutual aid society where members pay monthly installments and receive discounted access to wedding, funeral, and related services. The company collects membership fees and ongoing payments, which can then be used to offset costs of ceremonies and events.
2. Wedding Services: Revenue from operating wedding venues and providing wedding ceremony services across multiple locations in Japan. Includes catering, venue rental, dress rental, photography, and related services.
3. Funeral Services: Revenue from operating funeral halls (平安祭典・ユウベルホール, ユウベル積善社) and providing funeral ceremony services, including Buddhist altars, graves, and memorial supplies.
4. Hotel and Hospitality Services: Revenue from operating multiple hotels (ユウベルホテル) in tourist destinations including Kyoto, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Yufuin, and Yamaguchi, serving both wedding guests and general travelers.
5. Life Services and Retail: Various lifestyle services including fashion, dining, sports facilities, photography studios, and eldercare facilities. The company also operates restaurants, coffee shops, and retail establishments.
6. Marriage Introduction Services: Marriage introduction/matchmaking service (ユウベル結婚紹介サービス) with membership fees including registration fees and monthly charges, plus a success fee upon marriage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ubell Group operates a ceremonial mutual aid society that provides integrated services for major Japanese life events, including weddings, funerals, marriage introductions/matchmaking, and memorial hospitality (hotels and banquet facilities). Members subscribe to mutual aid plans that cover ceremonial needs, and the group operates a network of wedding halls, funeral halls, marriage referral centers, and hotels across western Japan (notably Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, and Ehime prefectures).

Product overview

Ubell Group is a diversified Japanese life event services company operating under a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include: (1) Mutual Aid Services (互助会ユウベル) serving as the membership foundation, (2) Wedding Services with multiple branded venue products (マリエール, グランラセーレ, W series), (3) Funeral Services (平安祭典, ユウベル積善社) including cemetery plots and Buddhist altars, (4) Hotel and Resort properties (ユウベルホテル series), and (5) Marriage Introduction Services (ユウベル結婚紹介サービス) with AI-powered matching. These core products are supplemented by lifestyle modules including the Ubell Life Service member discount program (ユウベルライフサービス), rental clothing (借入衣裳), photography (フォトスタジオ クレア), fashion (ユウベル友禅), dining venues (上田珈琲, W dining, ル・キャトル), sports facilities, children's play facilities (ユウベルキッズランド), and Buddhist cultural facilities (菩提苑). The company serves customers across Hiroshima, Okayama, Tottori, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki prefectures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ライフワン (LIFE ONE): 互тус association prepaid life event service covering weddings, funerals, and related ceremonies
• IBJ (日本结婚了情報ネットワーク)
• ユウベルカード (Ubell Card)
• ハチドリな生活 (Hachidori Lifestyles)
• マリエール広島 (Marielle Hiroshima)

Products and services

• Ceremonial mutual aid membership A subscription-based mutual aid plan that members pay into over time and draw on to subsidise the cost of weddings, funerals, and related ceremonial services at Ubell-owned venues. Targeted at individual households in western Japan planning major life events.
• Wedding ceremony and reception services End-to-end wedding planning, ceremony, and reception hosting delivered at Ubell-owned wedding halls across western Japan. Intended for engaged couples (and their families) seeking a full-service venue with mutual aid subsidisation.
• Funeral ceremony services Funeral ceremony, altar, and reception services provided at Ubell-owned funeral halls, supported by pre-funded mutual aid funeral plans. Targeted at bereaved families in western Japan.
• Marriage referral / matchmaking service A matchmaking service that introduces single adults to potential marriage partners using Ubell's proprietary member database and in-person counselling at company-operated marriage referral centres. For single members in western Japan seeking a vetted marriage introduction.
• Hotel and banquet hospitality Hotel accommodation and banquet hall services operated by Ubell Group across western Japan, supporting ceremonial guests and providing general hospitality capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120,000 couples served for weddings (12万組以上)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core and minor.

• IBJ (International Marriage Broker)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorユウベル結婚紹介サービス is a regular member of IBJ, Japan's largest marriage introduction network. This partnership provides access to IBJ's member database of over 109,000 registered members and enables nationwide matching services for customers seeking marriage partners.
• ユウベル株式会社 (熊本・八代・鹿児島・霧島・福岡)coreOthersGroup company handling wedding and funeral services in the Kyushu region (Kumamoto, Yatsushiro, Kagoshima, Kirishima, Fukuoka). Part of the Ubell Group for joint use of customer data and coordinated service delivery.
• ユウベル株式会社 (福山・東広島・岡山・米子・松江)coreOthersGroup company handling wedding and funeral services in the Chugoku region (Fukuyama, Higashihiroshima, Okayama, Yonago, Matsue). Part of the Ubell Group for joint use of customer data and coordinated service delivery.
• 平安商事株式会社coreOthersGroup company providing photography services, invitation printing, souvenirs, and other wedding-related products. Part of the Ubell Group's joint data use agreement for coordinated service delivery.
• 平安花壇株式会社 (広島・福山・岡山)coreOthersGroup company providing flower arrangements for weddings and funerals in the Chugoku region. Part of the Ubell Group's coordinated service network.
• スタートラベル株式会社coreOthersGroup travel agency company providing honeymoon and travel services to Ubell Group customers. Part of the coordinated service network for wedding and ceremonial occasions.
• ベスト天下一品株式会社minorOthersAffiliated company operating the Tenkaippin ramen restaurant chain. Provides dining services within the group's service ecosystem.
• ユウベルサービス株式会社coreOthersGroup company providing hearses, microbus transportation, and Buddhist memorial services. Part of the coordinated funeral service network.
• 全日本冠婚葬祭互助協会 (Zengokyo)coreOthersNational mutual aid association providing industry information and consumer hotlines for the mutual aid industry. Ubell Group participates as a member of this industry organization.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Kamonohashi (鴨方 / 花いち): Japanese ceremonial flower arrangement and funeral/wedding floral services provider. Comparable to Ubell's Heian Kadan subsidiary business, though operating as a focused specialist rather than a diversified ceremonial group.
• IBJ Inc. Japan's largest marriage introduction network and the platform partner for Ubell's matchmaking service. While Ubell uses IBJ's network as a distribution channel, IBJ is also a peer in the marriage-introduction/matching services market and represents both a partner and a competitive alternative.

Direct peers

• San Holdings (燦ホールディングス): Japan's largest ceremonial services holding company, operating mutual aid societies, wedding venues, and funeral halls nationwide. Directly comparable as a multi-brand ceremonial platform with the same mutual aid → wedding → funeral business model as Ubell, but at significantly larger national scale.
• Best Bridal (ベストブライダル): Japanese wedding venue and ceremony services company operating multiple branded wedding halls. Directly comparable as a venue-based wedding services operator targeting similar mid-market couples in Japanese cities.
• Watabe Wedding (ワタベウェディング): Long-established Japanese wedding services company operating resort and domestic wedding venues plus honeymoon travel. Comparable to Ubell's wedding + hotel (Ubell Hotel) combination, particularly for destination wedding experiences.
• T&G (テイクアンドギヴ・ニーズ): Listed Japanese wedding venue operator running branded wedding halls across major cities. Direct competitor in Ubell's core wedding venue business, with overlapping target customers (couples planning weddings) and similar one-stop venue + catering + coordination service model.
• Bellco Holdings (ベルコ): Major Japanese funeral services and ceremonial group operating funeral halls and mutual aid schemes. Direct competitor in the funeral services segment of Ubell's portfolio, with comparable membership-based prepaid service architecture.

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings (Zexy / ゼクシィ): Operates Zexy, Japan's dominant wedding media and vendor matching platform. Not a direct ceremonial services operator, but a significant competitive force in how couples discover wedding venues and could disrupt traditional venue operators like Ubell over time.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ub.wedding.service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Ubell group