WA

What WA does

WA (株式会社ダブルエー / Double-A Co., Ltd.) is a publicly listed Japanese women's footwear retailer and multi-brand operator, founded in February 2002 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market under ticker 7683. The company's portfolio centers on the flagship ORiental TRaffic ladies' footwear brand and extends across WA ORiental TRaffic (feminine lifestyle for adult women), ORTR (sports/lifestyle), KIDS, MISCH MASCH (apparel, merged 2023), 31 Sons de mode (apparel, acquired April 2025), and premium footwear via its Himiko subsidiary (acquired May 2020) and the NICAL brand (licensed to Himiko from August 2024). Distribution runs through 100+ directly operated physical stores across Japan (department stores, shopping malls, outlet centers, street-facing locations), the company's owned e-commerce platform (ec.wa-jp.com), and third-party marketplaces including Rakuten (since 2006) and Tmall (since 2016), with international retail in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The company generates revenue primarily through one-time retail sales of footwear and fashion accessories to individual consumers, with no disclosed subscription or recurring-revenue component. Operational footprint comprises a Shibuya/Ebisu headquarters, a logistics center in Inashiki, Ibaraki, and a Yokohama office, supported by approximately 525 staff (336 regular employees and 189 part-time as of January 2026). Shareholder structure as of January 2026 includes 19,079,920 shares outstanding across 29,174 shareholders, registered capital of ¥1,655.2 million, and a FY2026 annual dividend of ¥17 per share at a 47.1% payout ratio. The company is led by Representative Director Xiao Junwei (肖俊偉).

Recent strategic posture reflects active offensive expansion: April 2025 acquisition of 31 Sons de mode (apparel), October 2025 launch of men's sneakers (new category), March 2026 first major ORTR TV advertising campaign with Chocolate Planet, and April 2026 launch of the combined-brand "WA ORTR" store format, all alongside continued new-store openings. No proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities are described in the source material; the company's product-development advantage is grounded in a field-first feedback loop between retail floors and production rather than algorithmic systems.

Name

WA

Legal name

株式会社ダブルエー

Website

https://wa-jp.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

WA (Double-A Co., Ltd.) is a Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed Japanese multi-brand women's footwear and apparel retailer, operating 100+ directly managed stores across Japan plus e-commerce, Rakuten, and Tmall channels under brands such as ORiental TRaffic, ORTR, KIDS, MISCH MASCH, 31 Sons de mode, and Himiko.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Footwear Retail

NAICS

Shoe Retailers (45821), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811)

SIC

Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Kids Athletic Footwear & Apparel Retail (CRAMACAL), Athletic Footwear & Sport Apparel Retail (CRAMABAC)

Keywords

• Women's footwear retail
• Fashion retail brands
• Multi-brand apparel
• Shoe manufacturing design
• Direct-to-consumer retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Setagaya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales - Physical Stores: Revenue from sales of women's footwear and fashion accessories through company-owned physical retail stores across Japan, including department stores, shopping malls, outlet stores, and street-facing locations.
2. E-commerce / Online Store: Revenue from proprietary online store (ec.wa-jp.com) as well as third-party marketplace platforms including Rakuten and Tmall (China). Online sales ratio has been significantly expanding.
3. Wholesale / B2B Sales: Revenue from wholesale distribution including subsidiary Himiko (卑弥呼) which operates high-end footwear brands. NICAL brand operates under a license agreement with Himiko.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WA plans, designs, and sells a portfolio of women's footwear and apparel brands through 100+ company-operated physical stores across Japan and internationally, plus its owned e-commerce platform (ec.wa-jp.com) and marketplace storefronts on Rakuten and Tmall. Its core brands include ORiental TRaffic (flagship), WA ORiental TRaffic, ORTR (sports), KIDS, MISCH MASCH, 31 Sons de mode, plus premium subsidiary brands Himiko and NICAL. The company also launched a men's sneaker line in October 2025.

Product overview

WA operates a multi-brand footwear and fashion portfolio anchored by its flagship ladies' shoe brand ORiental TRaffic, supplemented by WA ORiental TRaffic (natural/feminine sub-brand for adult women), ORTR (sports/fashion), and KIDS (children's shoes). The company expanded into feminine apparel via MISCH MASCH (absorbed 2023) and 31 Sons de mode (acquired 2025), and into premium footwear through Himiko subsidiary (2020). NICAL (ladies' shoes, licensed to Himiko from 2024) rounds out the lineup. All brands are sold through physical retail stores, department store concessions, outlet locations, and the company's integrated e-commerce platform (ec.wa-jp.com), including branded online stores, Rakuten, and Tmall.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ORiental TRaffic: Playful designs offering shoes for everyday fashion coordination at accessible prices
• WA ORiental TRaffic
• ORTR
• KIDS
• MISCH MASCH
• 31 Sons de mode

Products and services

• ORiental TRaffic Flagship ladies' footwear brand offering trendy, fashionable shoes at accessible prices for style-conscious women shopping for everyday outfits and occasions.
• WA ORiental TRaffic Sub-brand with a natural and feminine concept for adult women, offering fitting-focused, everyday-wearable shoes that integrate into daily life while maintaining stylish sensibility.
• ORTR (Oriental TRaffic) Sports brand merging functionality and fashion, offering lifestyle-oriented active wear that blends into daily life for health-conscious consumers.
• KIDS Kids' footwear line responding to demand for stylish children's shoes, offering daily sneakers and formal shoes with child-friendly easy on/off structure and playful designs.
• MISCH MASCH Feminine fashion brand offering quality-focused items with attention to silhouette and design, incorporating trends for polished feminine coordination looks.
• 31 Sons de mode Feminine apparel brand whose name evokes adding a different rhythm and melody to each of the month's 31 days for a more radiant daily life.
• Himiko (株式会社卑弥呼) Premium high-price-point ladies' footwear brand operated as a WA subsidiary, complementing WA's mid-range offerings through product line differentiation.
• NICAL Ladies' footwear brand originally launched within WA and licensed to subsidiary Himiko from August 2024 onward, rounding out the premium footwear lineup.
• Online Store (ec.wa-jp.com) Company-operated e-commerce platform selling all WA brand products directly to consumers online, including official online stores for individual brands and an integrated shop locator.
• Men's Sneakers New men's casual sneaker line leveraging WA's existing design and production capabilities, sold at select WA and Himiko stores and on the official online site.

Quantifiable outcome

• TIME magazine coverage (May 2024 Asian Edition) featuring CEO Shao Junwei

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 株式会社卑弥呼 (Himiko Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020WA acquired and made Himiko a subsidiary in May 2020. Himiko operates the premium footwear brand '卑弥呼' (Himiko) and the 'NICAL' brand. In August 2024, WA entered a NICAL brand license agreement with Himiko. This partnership significantly expands WA's brand portfolio into the high-end footwear segment.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Steve Madden, Ltd. US-based multi-brand footwear designer and retailer with global DTC, wholesale, and licensing operations. Comparable multi-brand women's footwear portfolio, fashion-forward product cadence, and DTC-plus-marketplace channel strategy.
• Deichmann SE: Europe's largest footwear retailer operating thousands of stores across multiple countries under several brands. Comparable in multi-brand private-label footwear assortment, mall-based retail density, and value-to-mid price positioning.
• Genesco Inc. US-based footwear retailer and wholesaler operating Journeys, Schuh, and Johnston & Murphy. Comparable as a multi-brand footwear retailer combining retail and wholesale channels targeting fashion-aware and value shoppers.

Direct peers

• ABC-Mart, Inc. Japan's largest specialty footwear retailer, operating more than 1,000 stores selling branded and private-label shoes across malls and street-front locations. Directly comparable on channel mix, Japanese footprint, and women's/children's footwear assortment.
• Pal Group Holdings Co., Ltd. Tokyo-listed Japanese footwear and apparel retailer operating multiple shoe brands including 3COINS+plus and P2 et al. Comparable as a multi-brand retailer with street-front and mall presence targeting Japanese female consumers.
• Chiyoda Co., Ltd. Specialty Japanese retailer focused on women's and children's footwear with private-label brands sold through mall and department store channels. Comparable in target customer, in-store service orientation, and reliance on domestic Japanese mall traffic.

Others

• Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Parent of Uniqlo, GU, and Theory; a Japanese apparel and footwear-adjacent giant with growing shoe lines sold through mall and online channels. Comparable as a Japanese-listed apparel retail operator with strong EC presence and broad mall footprint.

Regional players

• Belle International Holdings Limited: China's largest women's footwear retailer and a brand owner with Tmall and Tmall Global presence. Comparable in women's footwear focus, multi-brand model, and reliance on Greater China retail channels overlapping with WA's Tmall entry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orientaltraffic
• Facebookfacebook.com/orientaltraffic
• Instagraminstagram.com/orientaltraffic_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 WA