INTERVIEW: Sekisui House Pres. Eager to Expand Overseas Biz

Jiji Press

17:40 JST, December 29, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Sekisui House Ltd. President Yoshihiro Nakai has expressed eagerness to expand the Japanese home builder’s overseas business, also unveiling a plan to return to the British market.

Sekisui House has acquired three housing makers in the western and southern regions of the United States as part of its bid to sell wooden houses across the country.

“We’ll actively pursue mergers and acquisitions” further abroad if there are companies whose corporate philosophies fit that of Sekisui House, Nakai said in a recent interview.

Sekisui House entered the British market in 2019, but the business did not fare well amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company Sekisui House invested in for the British operations was liquidated this year.

Britain “is a very attractive market with a considerable housing shortage and home buyers who have enough incomes for middle- to high-end products,” he said, stressing his wish to reenter the market.

Nakai played down the impact of expected housing loan rate hikes following the Bank of Japan’s recent decision to raise its cap on long-term interest rates.

“Since most of our customers use short-term loans, there should not be much impact,” he said.