L Catterton has announced a strategic investment in Seki Furniture, a major furniture company based in Japan. This partnership is designed to help Seki Furniture grow further in Japan’s steadily expanding furniture market by tapping into L Catterton’s deep experience in the consumer sector.
Japan’s furniture industry has been on a consistent upward trend, driven by long-term trends such as increasing urbanization, the formation of more households, and changing lifestyles that influence how people furnish their homes. At the same time, demand for commercial furniture is rising due to evolving workplace needs and continued investment in sectors like hospitality, including hotels and restaurants.
Seki Furniture is well-positioned to benefit from these trends. The company has a strong in-house design team and a vast network of suppliers and manufacturers, which allows it to offer a broad range of stylish and high-quality furniture. Its products appeal to both individual consumers and corporate clients. One of its standout brands, RELAXFORM, is highly rated for design, material quality, and pricing.
Seki Furniture holds the largest share of Japan’s wholesale residential furniture market. It also sells directly to customers through 26 of its own retail stores, including CRASH GATE, and through both its own and third-party online platforms. Its commercial furniture business is also expanding, with clients in various sectors, including offices, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and other corporate spaces.
L Catterton brings valuable experience to this partnership, having worked with well-known home furnishing brands like Restoration Hardware and Boll & Branch. In both cases, the firm helped drive growth and improve operations, with a focus on product quality and sustainable practices.
KEY QUOTES:
“Seki Furniture has grown over the past 57 years under the steady leadership of its founding Seki Family, as well as its chief executive officer Hideki Haruta, a 27‑year company veteran. They have built a solid enterprise that has thrived across several macroeconomic cycles, and strategically and successfully expanded into multiple product and customer segments. We are honored to be part of Seki Furniture’s next chapter of growth and look forward to working closely to create value.”
Taka Shimizu, a Partner at L Catterton
“We are delighted to welcome L Catterton, a firm with a strong global track record of investments in the consumer industry, as our partner. Going forward, we will work together with L Catterton to achieve further medium- to long-term growth and enhance our corporate value, while continuing to provide our customers with services and products that deliver lasting value.”
Hideki Haruta
