BAD BOYS to Launch INUMA in November 2026, Matching Dog Grooming Wait Times with Nearby Beauty and Wellness Salons

BAD BOYS Co., Ltd. headquartered in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture and led by President Hidesada Sugawara, plans to launch INUMA, a matching platform that uses dog grooming wait times to send pet owners to nearby beauty and wellness salons, in November 2026. INUMA is designed as more than a customer referral system. It is positioned as a comprehensive platform that reduces operational burdens for salons and creates new revenue streams. The company has begun recruiting initial partner dog grooming salons, limited to 50 stores across 10 Tokyo wards, as well as affiliated beauty salons including hair salons, nail salons, eyelash salons, esthetic salons, and clinics. The service name INUMA comes from the Japanese phrase “inu no inuma ni,” meaning “while the dog is away.” The concept is to transform the two to four hours during which owners leave their dogs at grooming salons from idle waiting time into premium self-care time at nearby salons. Rather than requiring pets to accompany owners, the platform connects time in a smart way and proposes a new lifestyle. BAD BOYS operates eight physical locations mainly in Matsuyama, Ehime: five hair salons, two esthetic salons, and one shared salon. The company has inherited a 35-year history from the previous generation and has built roughly 40 years of local customer trust. Its long-standing store management experience and field-first perspective informed the platform’s detailed design around salon needs and customer value. INUMA emphasizes zero additional burden for salon staff. As an active salon operator, Sugawara focused heavily on operational load. The platform is designed with a simple UI/UX that does not disrupt the daily workflow of busy groomers. System usage fees, listing fees, and referral commissions are all completely free, enabling smooth adoption without adding new tasks for staff. The platform includes management features to support dogs’ safety and wellbeing, such as digital registration of dog profiles and vaccination certificates, as well as a grooming report function that lets groomers share observations. When care products recommended through these reports are purchased in the app, revenue is shared back with partner salons. This creates a new retail income source without inventory risk. The company says the most valuable asset is the groomer’s observation, built through monthly hands-on contact with each dog’s entire body. Professional groomers can notice subtle changes in skin, coat, and physical condition earlier than anyone else. The grooming report is intended to deliver this professional insight directly to owners and serve as a bridge for protecting dogs’ health. The report can be created with one touch, so it does not increase groomers’ workload. A key feature of INUMA is INUMA Premium, which can be introduced at no cost to salons. When owners return from using an affiliated beauty salon during their dog’s grooming appointment, the grooming salon can present them with high-quality dog food or supplements for free. Premium brands focused on pet health have already decided to participate. Planned items include green-lipped mussel supplements from PAWS Co., Ltd., designed by veterinarians for their own dogs and cats, and premium additive-free game-based pet food from Kumashika-cho, made with high-quality Hokkaido ingredients. INUMA Premium allows salons to provide customers with surprise and exclusivity at no cost, helping create loyal repeat customers. It also lets owners experience high-quality products for free, raising awareness of pet nutrition and contributing to longer healthy lifespans for dogs. President Hidesada Sugawara said that although INUMA is an IT platform, the company values real on-site passion. In preparation for the November launch, he plans to stay in Tokyo for about one month from mid-May and personally visit more than 300 dog grooming salons to hand out service brochures. The company hopes to use its pride and experience from Ehime to create a new circulation of love and economic value together with businesses in Tokyo. INUMA is currently seeking dog grooming salon owners and beauty salon owners in Tokyo’s Minato, Setagaya, Shibuya, Meguro, Shinagawa, Chuo, Edogawa, Adachi, Nerima, and Ota wards. The initial recruitment may end without notice once the limited 50-store quota is filled. Official website: https://inuma.co.jp/ Official Threads: https://www.threads.com/@inuma.co.jp?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Official representative X: https://x.com/inuma_jp_ceo?s=11&t=WOzznYbmYywyyyktH2R54A Contact email: info@inuma.co.jp Company name: BAD BOYS Co., Ltd. President and Representative Director: Hidesada Sugawara Head office: 1263-3 Kou, Minami-Umemotomachi, Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture Business: Operation of beauty salons and shared salons; development and operation of the INUMA platform business BAD BOYS Group website: https://www.bad-boys.jp/ INUMA website: https://inuma.co.jp/