Notice Regarding the Acquisition of Trading Card Sunrise (HATO Co., Ltd.) as a Subsidiary by Yuyu-tei (Our Subsidiary Scala Place)

SCALA Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Representative Executive Officer and President: Hideaki Nitta, Securities Code: 4845, hereinafter "SCALA") announces that its Board of Directors resolved on July 1, 2026, to acquire all shares of HATO Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "HATO") through its consolidated subsidiary, Scala Place Inc. (hereinafter "Scala Place"), thereby making HATO a subsidiary.

1. Background and Purpose

Since its founding in 1991, SCALA has achieved continuous growth with its unique business model by flexibly responding to customer needs through IT, new business development, and finance. Aiming for further corporate growth, in the "Medium-Term Management Plan 2026-2028" announced on September 25, 2025, we formulated the mission and values of our group, set important themes such as creating new value and improving AI technology, and announced our plan to proactively pursue M&A that maximizes synergy with our current business portfolio.

In the TCG business handled by Scala Place, for over 20 years since its inception as a web-only business, we have accumulated a wide range of trading card purchases, sales, strategy media, and in-house system development, valuing the enjoyment of Scala Place employees and users as a card shop for TCG players. As a result, our membership has reached 370,000, and our platform site has grown to exceed 20 million monthly PVs. The TCG market has been rapidly expanding in recent years, driven by the influence of popular YouTubers, the return of former players, the increasing asset value of rare cards, and the enhancement of collectibility, with the domestic and international TCG market size continuing to grow. In this market environment, Scala Place has been considering entry into the physical store business as one of its important management challenges, in addition to its strengths in web shops cultivated so far, to achieve further business growth and expand customer touchpoints. Physical stores enable direct customer relationship building through face-to-face purchasing and sales, community building rooted in local areas, and the provision of customer experiences that are difficult to obtain online. We believe that an omnichannel deployment integrating EC and physical stores will further enhance Scala Place's corporate value.

Meanwhile, HATO, founded in 2021, operates physical stores in bustling areas and regional cities across Osaka, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Hyogo, Hiroshima, and Nagano, and engages in the purchase and sale of various trading cards along with its own online store. Although in its fifth year of operation, the company has been expanding its store network year by year and has achieved rapid growth through flexible and speedy appraisal responses to market prices, on-site capabilities developed through the training of each employee, and customer engagement utilizing regular events and social media. In particular, HATO emphasizes customer service and business development from the perspective of players and collectors who actually enjoy trading cards, rather than uniform responses dependent on manuals. This stance is the source of fan support and the creation of a strong brand in the region.

Through repeated dialogues with HATO, Scala Place has deeply resonated with HATO's cherished "culture that values the player's perspective" and "values of doing business with enjoyment." By integrating Scala Place's technical capabilities, product procurement capabilities, and customer base accumulated through its EC business with HATO's know-how in physical store operations, on-site capabilities, and regional brand, we are confident that we can provide services that are even more attuned to customers in both digital and physical realms. For Scala Place, this subsidiary acquisition not only realizes its long-considered full-scale entry into the physical store business but also, by mutually complementing each other's strengths, we have determined that it will further strengthen our business foundation in the trading card market through the creation of various synergies described below, contributing to the sustainable growth of both companies.

1 Improvement of Productivity through IT Support By providing Scala Place's TCG database to HATO, a dramatic improvement in HATO's store POS and web shop product management operations can be expected. Furthermore, by leveraging Scala Place's system development capabilities, a proprietary TCG POS system can be developed.

2 Strengthening of Store Expansion Strategy through Inventory Integration and Capital Utilization By utilizing Scala Place's overwhelming inventory volume and customer acquisition capabilities, further acceleration of store expansion and vertical launch with overwhelming product selection will be possible.

3 Improvement of Organizational Strength through Recruitment, Training, and Diverse Career Path Provision for Employees of Both Companies Scala Place, specializing in online shops, and HATO, which develops physical stores, have different job content and work environments, allowing for a wide variety of experiences and broadening the scope of growth for employees of both companies.

For details, please refer to:

https://scalagrp.jp/news/2026/ir-0701/

Acquired Company Overview

Company Name: HATO Co., Ltd.

Location: 2-6-21 Namba Naka, Naniwa-ku, Osaka

Representative: Yuji Uei

Business Activities: Operation of card shops "Trading Card Sunrise"

Planning and operation of trading card game events

URL: https://tcgsunrise.com/

Company Overview

【SCALA Inc.】

Head Office Location: Shibuya Hikarie 32F, 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Hideaki Nitta

Business Activities: DX Business, Human Resources Business, TCG Business, Incubation Business

HP: https://scalagrp.jp/

【Contact Information for this Matter】

SCALA Inc.

Strategic Investment Department, Konishi

TEL: 03-6418-3960