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Benesse Corporation (ベネッセコーポレーション, Benesse Kōporēshon) is a Japanese company which focuses on correspondence education and publishing. Based in Okayama-City, it is the parent company of Berlitz Language Schools, which in turn is the parent company of ELS Language Centers. Benesse is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (listing code 9783).
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Native name | 株式会社ベネッセホールディングス |
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Formerly | Fukutake Publishing (1955-1987) Fukutake Shoten (1987-1995) Benesse Corporation (1995-2009) |
Company type | Private KK |
Industry | Educational Services |
Founded | January 28, 1955 |
Headquarters | Okayama, |
Key people | Eikoh Harada (President) |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Owner |
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Number of employees | 21,022 (consolidated) (2017) [1] |
Subsidiaries | Berlitz Language Schools |
Website | benesse |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Benesse_Corporation_in_Tokyo_in_2009.jpg/240px-Benesse_Corporation_in_Tokyo_in_2009.jpg)
The company name is derived from the Latin words "bene" (well) and "esse" (being).
History
editThe company was founded in 1955 as Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd. (株式会社福武書店, Kabushiki-gaisha Fukutake Shoten) by Tetsuhiko Fukutake, a publisher of educational materials. In 1986, Soichiro Fukutake succeeded his father as president on the latter's death.[2] His son Hideaki Fukutake is a company director.[3]
In 1994, the company completed the construction of the Fukutake Shoten Tokyo Building (now Benesse Corporation Tokyo Building) in Tama-City, Tokyo. In April 1995, the company was renamed Benesse Corporation.
A major breakthrough in the company's history was the acquisition of a majority stake in Berlitz Language Schools, which had gone public in 1989. In 2001, Benesse completed the take-over by acquiring 100% ownership of Berlitz and making it a private company once again.
In 2023, Swedish private equity firm EQT AB together with Benesse's founding family announced their intention to buy the company and take it private in a deal valued at US$1.78 billion (¥270 billion).[4] On March 3, 2024, it was announced that EFU Investments Ltd. and a fund managed by BPEA EQT completed the purchase of a 70.1% stake in Benesse.[5]
Benesse Foundation
editThe Benesse House is a 10-room hotel located inside a contemporary art museum, the Benesse Art Site, on the island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea.[6] Built in 1992, it was designed in partnership with architect Tadao Ando.[6] It was built by the Benesse Foundation which is funded by the Benesse Corporation.[6]
Franchises
editBenesse is the originator of the Kodomo Challenge educational program,[7] which debuted in April 1988 and introduced three young-animal mascot characters: Shimajiro the tiger, Torippi the parrot,[N 1] and Ramurin the sheep.[8] These characters, along with later 1991 addition Mimirin the rabbit,[8][N 1] would appear in a long-running series of Shimajiro anime starting in 1993.[9]
Notes
edit- ^ a b Names to the left of the slashes are the original Japanese; those to the right, the English ones used in WildBrain Spark's dub.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Fact Sheet - Investor Relations
- ^ "Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ Manson, Bess (2023-03-17). "Hideaki Fukutake - New WOW owner hopes to add festival to the show". Stuff. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ Kamata, Akinori; Oku, Takashi (2023-11-11). "Japan education firm Benesse to go private with Sweden's EQT". Nikkei Asia.
- ^ "EFU Investments Limited and Baring Private Equity Asia Fund VIII managed by BPEA EQT completed the acquisition of 70.21% stake in Benesse Holdings, Inc. from Minamigata Holdings Ltd". MarketScreener UK. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ a b c Williams, Ingrid K (26 August 2011). "Japanese Island as Unlikely Arts Installation". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Benesse's Preschool Education Course Faring Well in China: Pres" (Press release). Jiji Press English News Service. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2022-02-12 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b Takō, Wakako (2020-02-20). "通信教育発「しまじろう」、"子どもと一緒に成長"するキャラクターが30年愛された理由". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-02-12.
- ^ "BENESSE CORPORATION'S PRESCHOOL HIT SHIMAJIRO WINS MAYOR AWARD". Licensing Magazine (Press release). 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
External links
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