Sony of Crisis
Sony sells its real estate assets in and around the District in Tokyo, including the NS Building that was used as its headquarters from 1990 to 2006.
The price is estimated at 15 to 20 billion yen (US$147.9 to 197.2 million). Once the disposal is completed, only the corporate museum of Sony will remain in Gotenyama, Shinagawa. The company had sold its buildings in the northern part of Gotenyama back in 2007 during its restructuring, including the annex to the NS Building.
Gotenyama can be compared to the heart of Sony. The company was established in 1946 and moved to Gotenyama the following year. There it came up with a large number of innovative products such as transistor radios and Walkmans. In the early 2000s, more than 7,000 employees worked for Sony in Gotenyama, and its R&D centers and manufacturing facilities gave the nickname of Sony Town to the region.
However, the company is selling its major real estate assets now to survive the harsh restructuring process that has continued for years. For example, the main office of Sony USA in New York and Sony City Osaki of the TV business unit were sold two years ago. Two-thirds of the directly managed stores in the US are going to be shut down this month, too.
Sony is planning to dispose of its PC business unit and spin off the TV arm while focusing more on the smart phone, game and image sensor businesses.