Poplar to acquire treasury shares from Lawson

Poplar Corporation will acquire 2,150,300 shares of its common stock from Lawson Inc. on October 17, 2025. This acquisition, representing 18.22% of Poplar's outstanding shares, follows approval at a temporary shareholders' meeting and is valued at 311,793,500 yen, with a price of 145 yen per share. The transaction is contingent upon the existing business alliance agreement between the two companies.

Lawson, a major shareholder in Poplar, currently holds the 2,150,300 shares of Poplar common stock being acquired. The business relationship between Poplar and Lawson includes a capital and business alliance for joint procurement of products and raw materials, as well as the operation of Lawson Poplar stores by Poplar Retail Co. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Poplar.

Lawson reported an increase in net assets from 240,073 million yen in February 2023 to 316,135 million yen in February 2025. Over the same period, total assets grew from 805,367 million yen to 990,333 million yen, while operating revenue increased from 357,571 million yen to 411,645 million yen.