Kakaku.com to acquire en Inc.'s engage business for 4.45 bn yen

Kakaku.com, Inc. announced a basic agreement to acquire a majority stake in NewCo, a newly established company resulting from an absorption-type company split of en Inc.'s "engage" business. The acquisition will make NewCo a subsidiary of Kakaku.com. The "engage" business, which includes the "en-gage" job posting site and the "engage" recruitment support tool, will be transferred to NewCo. en Inc. will retain a certain equity interest in NewCo.

The acquisition price for an 85.1% equivalent voting rights stake is 4,449 million yen for common stock, with estimated advisory fees of 144 million yen, totaling 4,593 million yen. This price was determined based on en Inc.'s business plan, Kakaku.com's due diligence, and an independent third-party valuation using the discounted cash flow method. The agreement was signed on December 17, 2025, with a scheduled share purchase agreement in January 2026 and an effective absorption-type split and closing date in April 2026.

This acquisition is expected to enhance Kakaku.com's corporate value, create significant synergies with its "Kyujin Box" service, and strengthen its competitiveness in the recruitment domain. The impact on Kakaku.com's consolidated business results for the fiscal year ending March 2026 is expected to be minor, with further details for subsequent fiscal years to be announced with the March 2026 earnings release.