Acquisition Link Corporation

What Acquisition Link Corporation does

Acquisition Link Corporation (株式会社リンクコーポレーション) is a privately-held Japanese professional services firm founded in August 1987 and headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The company provides distribution marketing, commercial facility development consulting, and retail support services to enterprise clients across Japan, operating with 21 employees and 10 million yen in stated capital. It is led by two co-representatives (代表取締役), Tanaka Toshinori and Kurimoto Katsuki, both former practitioners from SP agencies, CVS chains, and consulting firms.

The firm operates two integrated service lines: Commercial Development Consulting (商業開発分野) and Retail Support Services (リテールサポート分野). Commercial Development work spans market and area marketing research, tenant mix planning, leasing execution, investment feasibility analysis, and post-opening operational support for shopping centers, third-sector tourism facilities, and mixed-use developments. Retail Support work covers distribution analysis, consumer purchasing behavior research, in-store and channel promotion planning, brand medium-term marketing strategy, and manufacturer sales force training. Delivery is executed through an in-house core of consultants augmented by an external network of commercial real estate specialists, researchers, architects/interior designers, MD and VMD planners, SP designers, and copywriters. The firm does not operate a proprietary software platform; revenue is generated through project-based and retainer-based consulting fees for engagements that have historically run multi-year (Gunze 5 years, Kirin 5 years, Yamaha 3 years, Shiseido 2 years).

The go-to-market is direct, enterprise-field-sales in nature: clients engage via an inquiry form on the corporate website (linkmk.co.jp) or by telephone. Documented clientele spans telecommunications (SoftBank Mobile), construction and design (Tanseisha, Takenaka Komuten), and brand manufacturers across apparel (Gunze), musical instruments (Yamaha), cosmetics (Shiseido), and beverages (Kirin Brewery). Project geography covers the Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, and Hokuriku regions of Japan, with no disclosed international operations.

Name

Acquisition Link Corporation

Legal name

株式会社リンクコーポレーション

Website

https://linkmk.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Acquisition Link Corporation is a Tokyo-based boutique Japanese consulting firm (founded 1987, 21 employees) providing commercial facility development consulting, distribution marketing, and retail support services to enterprise clients such as real estate developers, shopping center operators, and brand manufacturers across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate and Retail Consulting

NAICS

Other Services Related to Advertising (541890), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research (MPAAAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Value Chain Development & Supplier Upgrading (BPADAMAI)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate consulting
• Retail support services
• Distribution marketing consulting
• Shopping center development
• Tenant leasing consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Professional Services: The company generates revenue through consulting fees for commercial development and retail support engagements. Services include market research, strategy planning, implementation support, and training. Revenue appears to be project-based or retainer-based professional services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Acquisition Link Corporation provides distribution marketing services and commercial facility development consulting for shopping centers, commercial and cultural facility developers, third-sector entities, and brand manufacturers. Offerings span commercial facility market research, area marketing studies, tenant mix planning, leasing execution (テナントリーシング代行), sales promotion planning, opening operations support, and manufacturer retail support including in-store promotion strategy, channel promotion planning, and sales staff training programs. The firm executes end-to-end projects from planning through implementation rather than producing recommendation-only deliverables.

Product overview

Acquisition Link Corporation operates as a consulting firm offering a unified suite of services rather than a software product. The company provides two interconnected service lines: Commercial Development Consulting (商業開発コンサルティング) and Retail Support Services (リテールサポート分野). These services are delivered through a professional network of commercial real estate consultants, researchers, merchandise planners, visual merchandising coordinators, and promotional designers, supporting clients across retail format development, shopping center management, and manufacturer retail operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Development Consulting (商業開発コンサルティング)

Quantifiable outcome

• Kani Shopping Center achieved approximately 150 billion yen in annual sales with approximately 100 tenants across 23,000 square meters
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SoftBank Mobile CorporationminorOthersListed as a main client/business partner (主な取引先). The nature of the relationship is a client relationship for retail marketing consulting services.
• Tanseisha Co., Ltd.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a main client and collaborator. In the Chikura潮風王国 case study, Tanseisha handled construction/renovation execution while LINK Corporation staff were dispatched to the project. Collaborative relationship on cultural facility development.
• Takenaka Komuten Co., Ltd.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a main client and collaborator. Construction company engaged for commercial development projects requiring building expertise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Hakuhodo: Japan's second-largest advertising agency group with extensive retail and shopper marketing practices. Comparable in delivering integrated marketing and retail support services to Japanese brand manufacturers and retailers.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm offering leasing, tenant representation, and retail consulting. Comparable in tenant leasing and shopping-center advisory, though at global scale.
• A.T. Kearney: Global management consulting firm with a strong consumer and retail practice. Comparable in retail strategy and shopper insights advisory, though at enterprise scale and with global delivery.
• Dentsu: Global advertising and marketing services giant headquartered in Japan. Overlaps with Link Corporation's SP (sales promotion), in-store promotion, and channel promotion planning work, but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• L.E.K. Consulting: Global strategy consulting firm with a dedicated retail and consumer practice. Comparable in retail-format strategy, M&A due diligence, and commercial diligence work, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Video Research: Long-established Japanese market research company with deep consumer and media research capabilities. Comparable as a domestic Japan-focused research firm serving advertisers and retailers.
• Macromill: Japanese market research and digital marketing firm providing consumer insights, brand research, and retail marketing analytics. Comparable in research methodology and Japan-domestic retail client base.
• Intage Holdings: Japan's leading market research firm offering consumer research, purchasing behavior analysis, and retail marketing consulting. Highly comparable to Link Corporation's consumer research and shopper insights work across retail and consumer goods verticals.

Regional players

• Mitsubishi Estate: Major Japanese commercial real estate developer. Comparable as a Link Corporation customer archetype (large developer needing retail-format and tenant-mix consulting), but operates as principal rather than advisor.
• Mori Building: Japanese urban developer (Hills series) that Link Corporation's developer/operator clients resemble. Comparable in operating commercial real estate, but as a developer-principal rather than a consulting firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/link-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Acquisition Link Corporation