Cross Marketing Group Agrees to Acquire Startling Inc. to Strengthen IP Promotion Business

Cross Marketing Group (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Mikio Igarashi; TSE 3675) announced on April 14, 2026, an agreement to acquire shares of Startling Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Ryuichi Okumura), a company engaged in the planning, design, production, and sales of apparel and other products utilizing IP, to further strengthen its digital marketing business. Cross Marketing Group has focused on expanding its promotion business by leveraging unique strengths such as integrated online/offline social & sales promotions, influencer marketing, and entertainment/IP-utilized promotions, aiming for comprehensive support of client marketing activities. To further enhance customer response capabilities in the IP-utilized promotion domain, the company decided to acquire 100% of Startling Inc.'s shares and welcome it into the group. Startling Inc. is an IP merchandiser with strengths in end-to-end services from planning, design, OEM production, to sales of IP-utilized apparel and other products, boasting extensive collaboration achievements with global character licensors and apparel brands. This makes it highly compatible with Tokio Gets Inc., a group company engaged in planning and production of IP-utilized promotions, expecting significant synergies and the creation of new added value in Cross Marketing Group's promotion business domain. Business synergies between Cross Marketing Group and Startling Inc. are anticipated as follows: Expansion of revenue opportunities through leveraging Cross Marketing Group's customer base By Startling Inc. responding to IP goods-utilized promotion needs within our group's customer base, including Tokio Gets, it can gain opportunities not available independently and expand revenue. Establishment of a new revenue base through collaboration with Tokio Gets By integrating Startling Inc.'s product development and manufacturing know-how centered on IP utilization with Tokio Gets' promotion planning capabilities, it becomes possible to actively advance into previously unexpanded areas and establish them as revenue bases, such as launching IP-specialized brands, expanding sales channels to major mass retailers and overseas markets, and O2O development. Suppression of opportunity loss and sales expansion through strengthening Startling Inc.'s structure Through Cross Marketing Group's recruitment capabilities to augment Startling Inc.'s personnel and Tokio Gets' backup, it will be possible to secure projects that Startling Inc. had previously declined due to manpower shortages despite inquiries. [Company Overview] Company Name: Cross Marketing Group Inc. (TSE 3675) Representative: Mikio Igarashi, President and CEO Location: 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Established: June 2013 Main Business: Management of subsidiaries engaged in digital marketing business and research/insight business, and related businesses. URL: https://www.cm-group.co.jp/ Company Name: Tokio Gets Inc. Representative: Toru Ogasawara, Representative Director Location: 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Founded: March 1998 Main Business: Anime licensing promotion, anime voice actor events, development of anime collaboration products. URL: https://tokyogets.com/ Company Name: Startling Inc. Representative: Ryuichi Okumura, Representative Director Location: Nishi-Azabu Y.K. Building 4F, 2-10-1 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Established: July 2004 Main Business: Planning, design, OEM production, and sales of self-branded products utilizing IP-utilized apparel and other products. URL: https://startling.tokyo/