The first overseas Karaoke Manekineko store opened in 2011 in the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea. This business subsequently expanded to Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia to serve customers in these four overseas countries. In Southeast Asia, karaoke is widely regarded as a family outing. Despite the popularity of karaoke in this region, there are still many places where people view karaoke as an evening outing, as it often is in Japan, rather than a daytime destination as well for families to spend time together.
To serve customers in Southeast Asia, we are adding Karaoke Manekineko locations, which feature safety and comfort, reasonable prices and a friendly atmosphere in order to be a place for enjoyment for people of all ages, just as in Japan.
Japanese-style bright and clean karaoke facilities that always put the customer first have been very successful in Southeast Asia. This business is attracting a steadily increasing number of customers. The potential for more growth in this region is immense from the mid- to long-term perspective. Furthermore, entertainment and communication services are expected to increase as a share of consumer spending. As the only Japanese company operating a karaoke business in Southeast Asia, we will create new markets and establish our distinctive business model.
South Korea
Operations started in 2011 and consisted of two formats. Noraebang has only karaoke and Noraetown combines karaoke with food and beverages, including alcohol. Operations are centered on the Noraebang format, but we also operate Noraetown locations in order to give customers a full line of services as in Japan.
Malaysia
In 2018, we purchased a karaoke business in Malaysia and converted it to the Karaoke Manekineko brand and format. We are currently adding locations in order to establish a dominant presence in targeted regions of Malaysia.
Thailand
We opened the first Karaoke Manekineko store in Thailand in 2019.
Indonesia
We opened the first Karaoke Manekineko store in Indonesia in 2020.
