The Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture-based Kojima

コジマはビックカメラに約１４０億円の第三者割当増資を行い、ビックカメラの傘下に入ると発表しました。これによりビックカメラは家電業界売上高第２位になります。
記事では、「栃木県宇都宮に本社を置くコジマの連結決済は〜」という箇所をThe Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture-based Kojimaとしています。地名＋-basedのパタンですが、こういう形のものは初めて目にしました。宇都宮の知名度に関係しているのか、栃木県を入れるのが親切と思ったのかはわかりませんが、チェックしておきます。

なお、ビックカメラの社名については、私自身、関東に来て授業で学生に教えてもらうまでは「Big Camera」と思っていました。これは創業者の新井隆司氏がバリ島を訪れた際に現地の子供たちが「偉大な」という意味で「ビック、ビック」と言っていたことに由来するそうです。英語のbigがクレオール化した例でしょうか。（UG）

Bic Camera to acquire Kojima, become 2nd biggest electronics retailer

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Home electronics chain Bic Camera Inc. said Friday it has decided to acquire its smaller competitor Kojima Co., creating the second-biggest group in Japan's electronics retail industry after Yamada Denki Co.

Bic Camera will obtain a stake of 50.06 percent in Kojima by buying 39 million new Kojima shares for 14.12 billion yen on June 26 and make Kojima a consolidated subsidiary for its business year to August 2012, it said.

Kojima will remain a publicly traded company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and retain its name even after the deal.

Bic Camera, ranked fifth in the industry, has nearly 40 stores in urban centers, while Kojima, in sixth place, has about 200 stores mainly in suburban areas.

Under the capital alliance, Bic Camera said it will back up Kojima's growth on the precondition of the latter's
restructuring of its store network.

They will join forces to cover a wide market including urban centers and suburban areas to expand economies of scale, improve customer satisfaction and enhance their corporate values, Bic Camera said.

The two companies will coordinate purchasing, logistic operations, computer systems, store development and management, and sales promotion, while also exchanging personnel, it said.

The alliance comes as price-cutting competition has intensified in the home electronics market that has been shrinking since last year's termination of the government's point reward program for energy-efficient products.

Tokyo-based Bic Camera posted 612.1 billion yen in group revenues in the year ended in August 2011. It has been aggressively expanding business capacity, as indicated by its 2010 move to make Sofmap Co. its fully owned subsidiary.

The Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture-based Kojima's consolidated revenues totaled 449.4 billion yen in the business year ended in March 2011. After growing on discounts, the company has seen sluggish business performance in recent years due to tough competition from rivals including Yamada Denki and has sought to ally with a major firm.

Their combined revenues total more than 1 trillion yen, exceeding 901 billion yen of Edion Corp., currently ranked second in the industry, in the year to March 2011.
May 11, 2012(Mainichi Japan)

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120511p2g00m0bu059000c.html