A makeover for the Japanese group! Shintaro Tsuji, 92 years old and founder of Sanrio, notably exploiting the Hello Kitty license, will give way to his 31 year old grandson, Tomokuni. A younger boss, therefore, for the cute white creature that has become a goose that lays golden eggs.
Tomokuni Tsuji will become the new CEO from July 1 and his appointment must be validated by shareholders at an ordinary general meeting on August 26, according to a press release from the group published on Friday.
He will be the youngest boss of a company listed on the Topix index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, according to the Bloomberg agency, while business leaders in Japan are generally quite old.
Hello Kitty, archetype of Hawaii
Her grandfather Shintaro Tsuji had run the company for sixty years. Originally selling silk products, he quickly repositioned his business on the creation of fictional characters and their derivative products.
Created in 1974, Hello Kitty, has become a huge worldwide success, a symbol par excellence of the kawaii (cute) side of Japanese popular culture.
His face is now displayed around the world on tens of thousands of items (stuffed animals, school bags, erasers, pens, jewelry, clothing, electronic devices, etc.).
Hello Kitty has also been adapted as a cartoon for television, cinema, video games, and she is also the main star of an amusement park in Sanrio near Tokyo.
The Sanrio group in crisis
The task may be difficult for the young boss. Sanrio's activity has been declining for several years and is suffering from the coronavirus crisis.
Its 2019/20 annual sales totaled 55.2 billion yen (455 million euros), down 6.5% from a year ago, and its net profit collapsed by 95% over the period, according to results released Friday.
He can however hope to be born under a lucky star, fourteen years to the day after Hello Kitty!
Did you see ?
VIDEO. Japan train company to launch Hello Kitty-themed high-speed train
By the Web
VIDEO. After Hello Kitty, Sanrio presents Aggretsuko, a young red panda in burnout
- Economy
- Japan
- Culture