Digital Garage officially launches lifestyle service for wealthy consumers Business integration with two subsidiaries leads to development of DG Life Design business

Digital Garage, Inc. (TSE first section: 4819, HQ: Tokyo, Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO: Kaoru Hayashi, DG) will launch the DG Group’s first lifestyle support service aimed at wealthy consumers through DG Life Design, Inc. (the planned new name of the equity method affiliated company HAMOLO, Inc. from July 2017, DG Life Design) (HAMOLO, Inc. became an equity method affiliated company of DG in October 2016). Furthermore, Group CEO Kaoru Hayashi will become Chairman and Representative Director of DG Life Design.

DG Life Design’s predecessor, HAMOLO, Inc., has offered a member management tool “PiCRO,” aimed at institutions such as sports schools, and a protective tracking device employing beacon technology, “Kinsei,” for children and the elderly. PiCRO has been introduced into more than 770 organizations and it is used by approximately 200,000* members in total. At the time of the launch of the lifestyle support service, DG initiated the integration of Hampstead, Inc., a website development and hosting company for professional baseball and soccer teams, and Academie Du Vin, which operates Japan’s largest wine school, as a wholly owned subsidiary of DG Life Design. Academie Du Vin has an extended membership of approximately 35,000* and gains approximately 2000 new members a year. (*As of January 2017)

In the future, DG Life Design, as a DG Group company, will integrally manage the contents of both the DG Group and the affiliated Academie Du Vin, which have amassed a higher-income user base, and combine these with the system development and hosting business of Hampstead to further expand the service to target more users. More specifically, the mission of DG Life Design is “Valuable Life Design” and the aims is to expand the existing life care business, sports marketing business and wine school business and create further new business as a result of integration synergy. DG Life Design also plans to develop business by employing the know-how and user base of the DG Group, which has created a number of services including Kakaku.com and Tabelog, as well as to cooperate with strategic partners providing member services in the fields of fashion, travel, business, housing, automobiles and food. By providing the services and content that enable such lifestyles through DG Life Design, the DG Group aims to instill lifestyle support business at the core of new business.

“The lifestyle support business will attract more attention as a result of working-style reforms and the declining birthrate and aging population. In keeping with the trends of these times, the DG Group will make high class women and wealthy seniors our initial targets and propose a “Valuable Life” to a broad spectrum of people. Through cooperation in fields such as life care and sports marketing both within and outside of the group, including alliances with Academie Du Vin, who run the traditional no.1 wine school, and major publishing and major card companies and ANA Trading, etc., we will conceive a new life design” (DG Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO).

Figure: Image of the DG Life Design and DG Group Organization

■Outline of each company
・DG Life Design, Inc. (the name of HAMOLO, Inc. will change in July 2017)
Established: November 2009
Business outline: Business planning and product development aimed at parenting and education and sports businesses.
URL: http://dgld.jp

・Hampstead, Inc.
Established: January 2005
Business outline: Website and systems development and hosting for famous companies and professional baseball and soccer teams.
Provides an add-on location information function, oneTAG, for existing applications aimed at companies.
URL: http://hampstead.jp

・Academie Du Vin, Inc.
Established: October 1987
Business outline: Operates the industry’s No.1 wine school, which employs top sommeliers as instructors. (Total number of members as of January 2017: Approximately 35,000. Gains approximately 2,000 new members every year). Also operates a wholesale wine business selling to other businesses.
URL: http://adv.gr.jp