House Foods Group considers sale of CoCo Ichibanya operator

House Foods Group is considering the sale of its subsidiary, Ichibanya Co., Ltd., which operates the major Japanese curry chain CoCo Ichibanya. The company is also reportedly weighing the possibility of taking Ichibanya private.

While House Foods confirmed it is exploring various options, it stated that no final decision has been made. The news of a potential sale caused shares of Ichibanya to rise by 16% in Tokyo.

Financial pressures have impacted the restaurant chain. Although Ichibanya reported a 7.4% increase in sales revenue for the 2025 fiscal year, net income fell by 19.2% due to rising ingredient and material costs. This decline in profitability is attributed to the difficulty of raising prices for what is considered an affordable comfort food.

Separately, the savings app ‘Reshi-Chare’ has announced a partnership with CoCo Ichibanya to run a receipt-based campaign starting September 1, 2026, offering rewards for purchases over 1,000 yen.