3 Nishikawa Bedclothes Makers to Reunite after 80 Years

July 10, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese bedclothes and mattress makers Nishikawa Sangyo Co., Nishikawa Living Inc., and Kyoto Nishikawa Co. said Tuesday that they have basically agreed to start talks on merging into a single company.

The move would mark the reunion of the three companies, which were separated about 80 years ago. They share the same roots.

Tokyo-based Nishikawa Sangyo, Nishikawa Living, based in the western city of Osaka, and Kyoto Nishikawa, based in the city of Kyoto, near Osaka, aim to realize the merger on Feb. 1, 2019.

On the back of growing interest among people in getting good-quality sleep, the three firms, known for high-quality products, intend to bolster their competitiveness by bringing together their management resources at a time when demand for bedclothes is falling due to the country's shrinking population.

The three firms have their origin in an entity that started as a mosquito net seller in what is now Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, in 1566.

They were created in the World War II era through branch independence and other processes under the instructions of the government at the time.

Their combined annual sales total some 75 billion yen. The three companies have no capital ties with one another. Jiji Press