ENVALITH
クックビズ株式会社 logo

Cookbiz Co.,Ltd.

6558・Growth Market・Services

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クックビズ株式会社 logo
Cookbiz Co.,Ltd.6558

Business

Cookbiz Co., Ltd. was founded in 2007 and consists of two segments: the HR Business, centered on personnel services specialized in the restaurant and food service industry, and the Investment Business, which invests in food processing companies. In the HR Business, the company operates the Recruitment Placement Service (cookbiz), Job Advertising Service (cookbiz), and Scout Service through its job information site "cookbiz," and also handles Specified Skilled Worker Placement "World in Worker," training services, and the SaaS Product "CAST." In the Investment Business, the company holds under its umbrella Kyuichi Co., Ltd., which processes frozen scallops, Atka mackerel, mackerel, and other seafood (Frozen Processed Seafood Products), and Maruhiro Ota Foods Co., Ltd., which manufactures and sells croquettes and other prepared foods (Croquette & Prepared Foods Manufacturing and Sales). Under its mission of "Food is People," the company is promoting the expansion of its business domain across the entire food industry.

Business Model

The HR Business generates revenue through three formats—Recruitment Placement (success-fee based), Job Advertising (listing-fee based), and Scout Service (usage-period fee based)—using the job information site "cookbiz" as its customer acquisition platform. The Investment Business comprises manufacturing and sales revenue from Kyuichi Co., Ltd., which freezes and processes seafood procured from fishery cooperatives in the Donan region for sale, and Maruhiro Ota Foods Co., Ltd., which sells croquettes made with Hokkaido-grown potatoes and other products through department store events, e-commerce sites, and overseas trade fairs.

Company Strengths

Since its founding in 2007, the company has consistently developed personnel services specialized in the food service industry. It covers a wide range of job categories from kitchen and hall staff to sommeliers, pastry chefs, and boulangers, and has built a system combining consultants well-versed in industry characteristics with automated extraction based on a database of job openings. Hiring appetite in the food service industry remains at a high level relative to other industries.

The renewal project for the job site "cookbiz" and its underlying systems, which had been underway since the previous consolidated fiscal year, was completed in all processes during the fiscal year ended November 2025. This established a foundation for improving user convenience and maximizing on-site navigation and application actions, and signs of improvement have been confirmed in leading KPIs such as the number of applications and interview conversion rate in the first quarter of the fiscal year ending November 2026.

In December 2025, the company concluded a capital and business alliance with OIC Group Co., Ltd., which operates the major food supermarket chain "Lopia." This established a framework expected to generate synergies both in recruitment support for the food service industry within the HR Business and in food processing and sales within the Investment Business. It represents an important strategic partnership aimed at expanding the business domain across the entire food industry.

ENVALITH's Perspective

The operating loss for the interim period of FY2026 (ending November 2026) was ¥87 million, a significant improvement from the same period a year earlier (¥189 million). However, achieving the full-year earnings forecast (operating profit of ¥80 million) will require operating profit of more than ¥167 million in the second half. While the leading KPIs for the HR Business (number of applications and interview conversion rate) are said to have recovered to normalized levels, the company has explicitly stated that conversion into sales will occur from the third quarter onward, meaning that second-half results will determine whether the full-year forecast is achieved. Although there has been no change to the earnings forecast, the hurdle for achievement remains high.

The company resolved to submit a proposal for "reduction of the amount of capital stock and capital reserve, and disposal of surplus" at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders scheduled for August 19, 2026. The plan is to reduce capital stock from ¥762 million to ¥10 million and capital reserve from ¥755 million to ¥10 million, and to apply ¥648 million of other capital surplus to offset the deficit in retained earnings carried forward. There will be no change to net assets or the number of shares issued; the purpose is to improve the apparent financial condition and secure flexibility for future capital policy. While the substantive financial improvement effect is limited, this can be viewed positively from the perspective of securing room for future dividend resumption and capital increases.

TECH CREW Co., Ltd. recorded an operating loss in its most recent fiscal year, and there is a risk that its subsidiarization will add to losses in the consolidated results from the third quarter onward. The acquisition cost and the assets and liabilities to be assumed have not yet been disclosed, and the amount of goodwill to be generated and its amortization period remain undetermined. On the other hand, the strategic rationale of providing an end-to-end service from recruitment to labor management for the restaurant industry is high, and the move is also expected to contribute to strengthening the medium- to long-term business foundation through in-house development of DX capabilities. Disclosure of the short-term profit and loss impact is awaited.

Growth Strategy

Diversification of the earnings base through recovery of the HR Business in the second half and expansion of business into the broader food industry

Leading KPIs such as the number of applications and interview conversion rates have already recovered to normalized levels. Through the establishment of an operational framework for early contact with job seekers and early interview scheduling, the company aims to achieve a full-scale sales recovery from the third quarter onward. The effects of the fundamental review of the cost structure continue, and the foundation for earnings recovery in the second half is gradually being established.

TECH CREW Co., Ltd., which provides the cloud-based labor management system "Jinji CREW," was made a subsidiary effective July 1, 2026, with a voting rights ratio of 79.5%. The company aims to build an integrated service framework covering everything from the recruitment phase through to the post-hire labor management phase, thereby strengthening its proposal capabilities for customers in the food service industry and internalizing DX development capabilities.

In December 2025, the company entered into a capital and business alliance with a major food supermarket group. The business domain has been expanded from the conventional food service sector to the broader food industry, including retail, distribution, and manufacturing, in order to enhance corporate value and strengthen the earnings base. The execution of specific synergy measures will be the focus going forward.

The company continues to stabilize earnings at Kyuichi Co., Ltd. through the review of unprofitable transactions and stricter gross margin management, while expanding sales at Maruhiro Ota Foods Co., Ltd. through increased participation in department store events. Over the medium to long term, the company will promote the expansion of its food industry portfolio through M&A of small and medium-sized food companies facing business succession issues.

Common stock will be reduced from ¥762 million to ¥10 million, and capital reserves will be reduced from ¥755 million to ¥10 million, with ¥648 million in other capital surplus allocated to cover the deficit in retained earnings. Subject to approval at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders scheduled to be held on August 19, 2026, the effective date is planned for October 1, 2026.

Last updated: July 17, 2026