Hirofumi Nihei, who drove business growth for "Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd.," appointed Executive Officer CMO of Nexter Brand Holdings Inc.!

Hirofumi Nihei (Nexter Brand Holdings Inc. New CMO | Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd. Director COO | Shinjuku Ward Eco Leader | Shinjuku Ward Decarbonization Tutor)

◻︎ Profile of New CMO, Hirofumi Nihei

・Nexter Brand Holdings Inc. / Nexter | New Executive Officer CMO

・Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd. / Itadaki Maratan | Director COO

◻︎ Key Project Achievements that Drove Brand Growth for "Itadaki Maratan"

【Business Development & Sales Expansion】

・Sauna Meal Revolution! Developed "Mala Tang Exclusively for Saunas"! Now available at hot spring and sauna facilities nationwide.

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000119.000029866.html

・Held "Itadaki Maratan Festival" at Onsen Balcony King & Queen! A new experience to refresh your body inside and out with an abundance of Itadaki Maratan! Mala Tang served in the water bath, with a heat wave master event, and in the dining hall.

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000199.000029866.html

・Started frozen sales of "Shinjuku's Famous Original Japanese-Style Mala Tang" at Package Plaza Shizuoka Minami store, operated by Makino Seita Co., Ltd.! Available for purchase 24 hours a day from in-store and outdoor frozen vending machines!

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000236.000029866.html

・Held "Itadaki Maratan Hot Spring" at Hanazono Onsen sauna kukka! Offering a new experience to "refresh" your body inside and out with medicinal herb baths and mala tang dining.

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000235.000029866.html

・Offered the winter-limited "Shinjuku's Famous Original Japanese-Style Mala Tang | Mala Tang" at Jigatake Ski Resort! Exquisite authentic gourmet to enjoy on the snowy mountains!

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000240.000029866.html

【Regional Revitalization & Local Government Collaboration】

・Participated in the "Mikuni Minato Co-creation Project" by Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, NTT West, and Graduate School of Project Design, and developed/released a new local specialty, "Mikuni Minato Mala Tang." https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000247.000029866.html

・Developed "Yamato Touki Mala Tang" in collaboration with Uda City, Nara Prefecture, a town of medicinal herbs! Contributing to increased recognition of regional specialty products. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000227.000029866.html

・Itadaki Maratan provided "Yamato Touki Mala Tang," a new specialty of the Reiwa era, as a "late-night meal for saunas" at the Uda City, Nara Prefecture "Uda Special Co-creation Sauna Workshop." https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000232.000029866.html

【Corporate & Brand Collaboration】

・Conducted a collaboration project with the sauna culture brand "Sauna Boy" for a large-scale store initiative themed "refreshment" presented by niko and ... https://www.instagram.com/p/DWXmEQkE3W7/?igsh=YXRuN2c3OXF1Z3A1

・Planned and developed collaboration products with Toho's "Godzilla" and registered them as Shinjuku Ward's hometown tax return gifts. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000200.000029866.html

・Carried out a sales project for the official licensed product of Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, "EXPO2025 Myakku Myaku Mala Tang." https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000201.000029866.html

【PR & Brand Marketing】

・Entered into a business partnership with Ninety Eight & Co., Ltd. Signed an official ambassador contract with their affiliated idol group "Kawanoro (I'll curse you if you don't say I'm cute!)" and will be unveiled at Sichuan Fes 2026. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000263.000029866.html

【ESG & Community Contribution】

・Itadaki Maratan Shin-Okubo Main Store registered as a "Shinjuku Ward Food Loss Reduction Cooperation Store" — Strengthening initiatives linked with regions, local governments, and international events towards creating a sustainable food culture — https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000273.000029866.html

・Certified as a "Decarbonization Tutor" and "Eco Leader" in Shinjuku Ward, promoting environmental co-creation activities through the food service business. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000252.000029866.html

◻︎ Hirofumi Nihei's Statement on Appointment

I am pleased to announce my appointment as CMO of Nexter Brand Holdings Inc.

Through my work with Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan, I have comprehensively driven areas essential for business growth, including brand building, D2C, SNS marketing, influencer strategies, government collaboration, regional co-creation, environmental activities, and IP collaborations.

In my view, the starting point of marketing is a deep understanding of the creator and the background of the product. Based on this, I believe the essence of marketing lies in identifying the diverse value proposition possibilities of a product or business, designing how, to whom, and with what value it should be delivered in which market, and ultimately connecting this to optimal market penetration and sales growth.

What's important is not to stop at discovering customer value, but to consistently connect it to P/L and customer perspectives, leading to product, sales channels, communication, and sales results. With this philosophy, I have practiced marketing in various fields.

In Shinjuku Ward, I have engaged in environmental activities related to food loss reduction and decarbonization, and in Fukui Prefecture, I have challenged myself to create new food cultures utilizing regional resources through regional revitalization projects. These initiatives are not merely social contributions but also marketing practices that identify the value sought by the region and society and connect it to business growth.

Furthermore, fortunately, I have worked on creating mechanisms for brands to be continuously chosen in the market, not just limited to product recognition, but also expanding recognition of the industry itself. This includes collaborations with leading Japanese IPs (Godzilla, Myakku Myaku, etc.), UGC creation by over 400 ambassadors, and establishing market positions through the launch of third-party organizations.

Additionally, at Itadaki Maratan, by focusing on the hot spring market and redefining the product's value as a healthy dining experience, we have promoted its introduction into hot spring facilities. In the D2C domain, we have expanded sales channels and revenue opportunities by creating new customer touchpoints, such as mala tang that can be enjoyed at home, rather than being limited to the existing restaurant model.

As CMO, I will prioritize discovering unseen value and market opportunities without assuming existing propositions, and designing them into viable business forms. Subsequently, I will instill implementation capabilities throughout the organization, breaking down concepts into specific measures, KPIs, customer touchpoints, operations, and sales results, and continuously iterating through execution and improvement.

Moving forward, I will not keep the knowledge and practical experience I have cultivated to myself but will implement them as a common language and shared understanding for the entire Nexter Brand Holdings group.

Regardless of job title or role, I will foster an organization where each member possesses both P/L and customer perspectives, discovers value, formulates hypotheses, executes, verifies, and continuously improves.

As CMO of Nexter Brand Holdings Inc., I will contribute to enhancing corporate value by maximizing the value of each business, creating new markets, driving sales growth, improving brand value, and strengthening organizational capabilities.

Thank you for your continued support.

◻︎ Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd.

Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Co-representatives: Yu Saito) is a group company of Nexter Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yuuki Hosoda), which operates an SNS marketing business. The company operates the D2C frozen mala tang brand "Ouchide Maratan" ( https://maratan.tokyo ) as a B2C business that delivers products directly to consumers. It also engages in B2B business through wholesale to retailers, hot spring facilities, and accommodation facilities. Furthermore, starting from Itadaki Maratan Shin-Okubo Main Store, the origin of Japanese-style mala tang, we are building a unique store model that covers the entire food supply chain, from upstream to downstream, by developing COS (directly managed stores) and FC (franchise) operations in collaboration with regional resources with a focus on local production for local consumption.

We aim to establish Japanese-style mala tang as a new specialty of the Reiwa era and develop it into a new pillar of Japanese food culture.

Business Company Name: Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd.

Responsible Persons: Co-Representative Directors Yuuki Hosoda, Yu Saito; Directors Hirofumi Nihei, Takahiro Miyata

◻︎ Nexter Brand Holdings Company Overview: Contact Information

Starting from here ! "The next thing starts here."

Nexter Brand Holdings

Nexter Brand Holdings is a pure holding company with a diverse range of businesses centered around Nexter Inc. (SNS Marketing), which is in its 15th year. Its group companies are involved in system consulting, innovation from rural areas (support for 6th-sector industrialization), creative production with a proven track record with public institutions and financial institutions for 22 years, web/app development support, UGC, co-creation IP/vertical short drama production studios, D2C/P2C brand businesses, and the Japanese-style mala tang business, which is 12 years old, among others, with a focus on social media.

【Company Overview】

Business Company Name: Nexter Inc.

Holding Company Name: Nexter Brand Holdings Inc.

English Name: Nexter Inc. | Nexter bran-do Holdings.

Head Office Location: Sumitomo Fudosan Shinjuku Garden Tower LaTour Shinjuku Garden 29F, 3-8-3 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Responsible Person: President & CEO Yuuki Hosoda

Number of Staff: 42 (Group total, including contractors and part-time employees)

Capital: 124,284,842 yen (Group total, including capital reserve)

Official HP: https://nexter.tokyo/

Official Twitter: @Nexter_Tokyo https://twitter.com/nexter_tokyo

Official Instagram: @Nexter_Nippon https://www.instagram.com/nexter_tokyo/

【Executive List】

President & CEO: Yuuki Hosoda

Executive Vice President COO: Kohei Ishibashi (Vice President)

Executive CBO: Miyu Ito (Nexter Creatist CBO)

Executive CTO: Daiki Miyaoka (Nexter Technology CTO)

Executive CCO: Riichi Shima (bran-do communication COO)

Executive CMO: Hirofumi Nihei (Itadaki Maratan COO)

【Special Advisors】

Iwata, Matsuo: Former Representative Director, President & CEO, Starbucks Coffee Japan

Onishi, Motofumi: Former Vice President, Johnson & Johnson; Former Vice President, Crocs, Inc. & Former President, Crocs Japan

Shimada, Toru: Former Representative Director & Vice President, Rakuten; Founder, Intelligence; Former COO, U-SEN NEXT HOLDINGS

Tezuka, Kiyoji: Former Representative Director & Vice President CFO, Able CHINTAI Holdings; Former Chairman & CFO, Nexter Inc.

Murakami, Norio: Former Honorary Chairman, Google Japan; Former President, Google Japan & Former Vice President, Google US Headquarters

【Affiliated Organizations】

Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Japan Association of Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOM Marketing Association)

Public Interest Incorporated Association Shinjuku Association

National Federation of Small and Medium Enterprise Associations

Specified Non-Profit Corporation World Gift (CSR Activity Corporate World Gift Supporter)

Peace Communication Foundation (BEYOND 2020 NEXT FORUM - SDGs Peace Communication Project)

Gadget Tsushin Creator Network (MCN)

【Group Business Companies】

Nexters Inc.

Nexter Technology Inc.

Nexter Bolts Inc.

Nexter Creatist Inc.

Tokyo Creatist Inc.

Itadaki Maratan / Ouchide Maratan Co., Ltd.

Onet Co., Ltd.

Brand Communication Inc.

【Contact Information for this Matter】

Nexter Inc. Contact: Hirofumi Nihei

Email: hirofumi@nexter.tokyo.tokyo