Dentsu Soken privatization and Itochu joint venture

Dentsu Soken has announced plans to go private through a tender offer (TOB) by VIC, a subsidiary of Itochu Corporation. The acquisition, estimated at approximately 215.1 billion yen, involves VIC purchasing shares at 2,880 yen per share, representing a 5.15% premium. If the offer succeeds, Dentsu Soken will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The restructuring will transform Dentsu Soken into a joint venture between the Dentsu Group and the Itochu Group. While the Dentsu Group will maintain its current 61.78% stake and not participate in the tender offer, Dentsu Soken will operate as a consolidated subsidiary jointly owned by both entities.

To bolster digital transformation and retail media capabilities, Dentsu Soken will enter a business alliance with Itochu Techno-Solutions (CTC). This collaboration aims to combine consulting expertise with Itochu’s IT infrastructure and customer networks to advance AI solution development and retail data utilization. Dentsu Group expects the move to improve governance and decision-making, anticipating negligible impact on its fiscal year 2026 financial results.