ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社
Public · 2 known investors
Laxus operates a subscription service for renting luxury designer handbags from 60 brands, with free shipping, professional cleaning, and damage protection included. The platform emphasizes sustainability by encouraging reuse of products instead of single ownership and disposal.
Also known as Laxus · Laxus Technologies Inc. · エス株式会社 · ラクサス
Founders & leadership
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社 (Laxus Technologies Inc.) operates Laxus, a subscription-based sharing service for luxury designer handbags in Japan. Members pay a flat monthly fee to borrow bags from roughly 60 brands — including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Céline, Prada, Fendi, Dior and Loewe — with unlimited exchanges, no return deadline, free round-trip shipping, and coverage for ordinary scratches and stains. Bags are authenticated by in-house appraisers and cleaned between users; the service is delivered primarily through a mobile app, which also provides an in-app chat channel for customer support. At the time of a 2018 release the monthly price was 6,800 yen and the catalogue covered 54 brands.
The company was incorporated in August 2006 as エス株式会社 (S Inc.) and previously ran English-language and TOEIC learning materials publishing, education and staffing, beauty/health and food e-commerce sites, and an electric motorcycle business ("Hiroshima Motors"). It launched the Laxus bag-sharing business in February 2015, renamed itself ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社 in January 2017, and exited the education and beauty/health businesses in July 2019. In October 2019 it became a consolidated subsidiary of apparel group World Co., Ltd. In January 2017 it added Laxus X, a CtoC element allowing owners to lend idle brand bags to the platform for up to 24,000 yen per bag per year.
Laxus Technologies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market on 13 December 2024 (ticker 288A), at which point World's stake moved from consolidated subsidiary to equity-method affiliate while the business relationship was maintained. Headquarters are in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, with a Tokyo office; the company is led by President and Representative Director Keisuke Takahashi, with founder Shoji Kodama a major shareholder.
Founding story
The company was established on 31 August 2006 as エス株式会社 in Hiroshima by founder Shoji Kodama, initially operating publishing, education, beauty/health, food and electric motorcycle businesses before pivoting to brand-bag sharing in 2015 and adopting the Laxus Technologies name in 2017.
Business model
Consumer subscription (BtoC): a recurring flat monthly fee gives members access to a rotating inventory of authenticated luxury handbags, with shipping, cleaning and damage coverage bundled into the fee. Inventory is supplemented by a CtoC arrangement (Laxus X) under which individual owners place their own brand bags into the rental pool in exchange for payments of up to 24,000 yen per bag per year.
Recurring monthly subscription fees from members (6,800 yen per month as stated in a 2018 company release), with additional packing fees charged when a member exchanges bags more than twice within one month. Reported revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2024 was 2,251.66 million yen with operating profit of 473.99 million yen.
Traction
Company materials cite more than 2.2 million app downloads and an inventory of roughly 40,000 bags (2020), with 1 million downloads reached in July 2020. A four-day pop-up store in March 2018 drew more than 5,500 visitors. Financials for FY ended March 2024 show revenue of about 2.25 billion yen, operating profit of about 474 million yen and net income of about 432 million yen; capital stock is 1,682,998,130 yen and the company reported 19,110,783 shares outstanding as of 2024-11-12.
Latest developments
The corporate site's news feed lists 2026 press releases including an initiative to surface bags that utilization-rate metrics alone had not highlighted (2026-07-21), an AI-and-fashion survey on buying versus renting bags (2026-07-14) and a seasonal bag-switching ranking (2026-05-26). The company also publishes IR news following its December 2024 listing and warns on its sites about illegal lenders using a similar company name.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Described in company releases as Japan's largest bag-sharing service, positioned in the fashion subscription/sharing-economy segment; the firm is a listed company on the TSE Growth market with an IPO-time market capitalization of 10,929 million yen at the initial trading price.
Unlimited exchanges with no return deadline and free round-trip shipping, flat pricing regardless of brand or bag value (including bags priced above 300,000 yen), in-house authentication by appraisers, included scratch/stain coverage, and a sustainability framing around reuse instead of disposal of bags that would otherwise be incinerated.
Technology
App- and web-based rental platform handling bag selection, reservation, exchange and support (in-app talk/chat), backed by logistics operations for shipping, cleaning and quality control, and in-house appraisal of authenticity. The company also publishes analyses of its rental data, such as utilization-rate-based discovery of under-exposed bags.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer through the Laxus website and mobile app (over 2.2 million app downloads cited on the company site; 1 million downloads announced in 2020), supported by press releases and consumer surveys, collaboration campaigns with partners such as LINE Score and OYO LIFE, product placement (bag supply to the 2024 film "Maru"), owned YouTube content, physical pop-up stores, and a business alliance with the Marui Group covering both card and retail operations.
Japanese consumers, primarily working women in their 20s to 50s who want access to high-end handbags without the cost of purchase or the need for storage space.
Geography
Japan-focused. Head office at Hiroshima Crystal Plaza 14F, 8-18 Nakamachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima; Tokyo office listed as Jingumae, Shibuya-ku (previously Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, Minato-ku). Second-hand dealer license issued by the Hiroshima Prefectural Public Safety Commission.
History
2006-08: incorporated as エス株式会社. 2010-11: head office moved to Hiroshima Crystal Plaza. 2011-2013: launched English/German learning materials, supplements, regional media and the Hiroshima Motors electric motorcycle line. 2015-02: launched the Laxus brand-bag subscription sharing service. 2017-01: renamed ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社 and launched Laxus X CtoC bag sharing; also completed a 700 million yen third-party allotment. 2017-10: business alliance with the Marui Group. 2018-03: pop-up store at Yurakucho Marui. 2019-07: withdrawal from education and beauty/health businesses. 2019-10: became a consolidated subsidiary of World Co., Ltd. 2020-07: Laxus app surpassed 1 million downloads. 2024-12-13: IPO on the TSE Growth market, becoming an equity-method affiliate of World.
Risks & controversies
The company posts warnings on its consumer and corporate sites about unlicensed money-lending operators using a name similar to its own. Ownership is concentrated, with World Co., Ltd. holding 59.30% and founder Shoji Kodama 35.58% as of 2024-11-12. Multiple legacy business lines (education, beauty/health) were exited in 2019, and the Japanese Wikipedia entry on the company is flagged for insufficient sourcing and promotional tone.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 13
launches, deals, and filingsListed on the TSE Growth market under securities code 288A; on listing, World's holding changed from consolidated subsidiary to equity-method affiliate while cooperation continued.
Laxus provided bags for the film "Maru", released 18 October 2024.
The company announced the Laxus app had surpassed one million downloads.
Campaign offering roughly 60 days of free bag use marking LINE Score's first anniversary, and a joint campaign with OYO LIFE combining furnished apartments with unlimited brand-bag rental.
Apparel group World made Laxus Technologies a consolidated subsidiary.
Exited its legacy education-related and beauty/health business lines.
Four-day pop-up store held on 17, 18, 24 and 25 March 2018, with the company reporting a cumulative total of more than 5,500 visitors and plans for further pop-ups from April.
Collaboration spanning the Marui Group's card and retail businesses.
Completed a third-party allotment share issue reported at 700 million yen.
Changed its trade name from エス株式会社 to Laxus Technologies Inc.
Service allowing individuals to send idle brand bags to Laxus and earn up to 24,000 yen per bag per year, described by the company as the world's first CtoC bag-sharing service.
Reported third-party allotment of 300 million yen by the company under its former name, エス.
Began the subscription-type sharing business for luxury brand handbags under the Laxus name.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社laxus.co · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社 do?
- Hiroshima-based operator of Laxus, a subscription service for sharing and renting luxury brand handbags in Japan.
- Who founded ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社?
- ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社 was founded by Shoji Kodama.
- Who are ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社's investors?
- ラクサス・テクノロジーズ株式会社's investors include Colopl Next, Hiroshima Venture Capital Co. Ltd..