OSAKA UMEDA TWIN TOWERS SOUTH
Geo residences by Hankyu Hanshin—the last word in refinement and quality
Since our founding, Hankyu Hanshin Properties has been developing towns and cities in various forms primarily along the Hankyu and Hanshin rail lines in areas such as Osaka-Umeda, while also keeping up with changes in society and the times.
In the Nishinomiya Kitaguchi area (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture), we have been continuously contributing to enhancing the area’s value by focusing on development around the station, including the large-scale commercial facility Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens, and by providing good-quality housing.
In February 2022, we completely rebuilt the Daihanshin, which housed the Hanshin Umeda Main Department Store, and the Shin Hankyu Building into a single building of the Osaka Umeda Twin Towers South, which has become a new flagship building of the Group.
Following on from the Osaka Umeda Twin Towers South, we have continued with the renovation (rebuilding) of our assets in the Osaka-Umeda area, including the Umekita 2nd Project, the Shibata 1-Chome Plan, and other large-scale development projects. Our aim is to make the Osaka-Umeda area, the Group’s largest business base, more internationally competitive and a hub of international exchange that links the world and the Kansai region.
Also, we will continue with urban development to improve the value along rail lines, such as by making effective use of the vacant lot of a hotel that is scheduled to cease operations in the Senri Chuo area (Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture), and considering ways that we can contribute to even better urban development.
In the Osaka Umeda area, we are systematically working to increase the value of existing buildings and other facilities, and also actively supporting startups and promoting collaboration and co-creation.
Through these measures, we are striving to improve our international competitiveness as a business hub that leads to the creation of new industries.
Opening of the GVH#5 office for supporting entrepreneurs
GVH#5 co-working space
In November 2014, we opened a membership-based entrepreneur support office called “GVH#5” (GVH Five) to support startups aiming to create new industries and launch new businesses that will lead to regional vitality, so as to further boost the competitiveness and regional power of the Osaka-Umeda area.
In addition to providing “spaces” such as co-working spaces and private offices, GVH#5 also offers support services by experts and entrepreneurs, as well as opportunities to match startups with the resources they need and with companies and organizations through events and seminars.
Making Umeda an international startup exchange center in the Kansai region
Image of the Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka (2019)
In 2019, the Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka, which is an acceleration program involving seven Japanese companies including Hankyu Corporation (Business agent: Hankyu Hanshin Properties), was held for the first time in Japan.
Startupbootcamp is one of the largest programs in Europe run by the Rainmaking Group, a leading venture support company based in the U.K. The program selects promising startups from around the world and supports their further growth by assisting with their development, conducting demonstration experiments, and collaborating with them.
During the program, selected overseas startups from around the world worked on business development with Japanese companies at GVH#5.
Through these cumulative efforts and the strengthening of ties with promising overseas startups and the startup community around the world, we will contribute to the growth of Osaka and Kansai as an international startup hub.
Participation in the joint demonstration project “Open Network Lab Resi-Tech”
Hankyu Hanshin Properties has also been participating in the “Open Network Lab Resi-Tech” since fiscal 2019. This is a nurturing program for real estate-related startups, which will discover and nurture promising startups (real estate services, lifestyle services, urban development, etc.) that are engaged in services that have a high affinity with the Group’s businesses.
In fiscal 2020, we conducted a demonstration experiment with Leela AI Inc. of the U.S. on AI (artificial intelligence) that uses image diagnostic technology to instantly detect problems and abnormalities in commercial facilities. If this technology can be put to practical use, it will help improve the efficiency of current security operations, in which security guards check images from security cameras, and prevent problems that occur within facilities from occurring or spreading.
This kind of initiative has been well received by our business partners, as it provides them with firsthand knowledge of the voices of those involved in the business. We will continue to work together with our business partners to provide new value through collaboration and co-creation while making good use of each other’s features.
