<Event Report> New Balance, Nagasaki Stadium City, and Nagasaki Velca hold joint press conference to promote regional revitalization through the power of sports - New Balance opens new store at Nagasaki Stadium City and becomes first supplier to B.LEAGUE team, Nagasaki Velca, in Japan -

New Balance Japan Co., Ltd. (CEO: Shinichi Kubota), Regional Creation Nagasaki Co., Ltd. (CEO: Hideki Iwashita), and professional basketball club Nagasaki Velca Co., Ltd. (CEO and GM: Takuma Ito) held a joint press conference today, (Fri), August 23rd (Mon) at "THE CLUB NAGASAKI" on the top floor of Stadium City Hotel Nagasaki, which is currently under construction within Nagasaki Stadium City, which will have its grand opening on Monday, October 14th, and announced the three companies' efforts to revitalize the local area through sports.

◆Opening movie

First, the three companies aim to revitalize the region through sports
An opening movie was shown to commemorate the initiative.
Video URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ETDU8XTa-7k

"I want to create a place that can deliver excitement through sports and entertainment."
Regional Creation Nagasaki Co., Ltd. President and CEO Hideki Iwashita

Next, Hideki Iwashita took the stage and explained the development outline and outlook for Nagasaki Stadium City, which will have its grand opening on October 14, 2024.
Hideki Iwashita said, "Nagasaki Stadium City, which will soon open, is being developed with the idea of creating a place that creates extraordinary enjoyment and becomes a part of everyday life. It will feature a soccer stadium that is the closest to the largest pitch in Japan, an arena where you can enjoy sports and concerts, a fun-filled shopping mall filled with eating, learning and playing, Japan's first soccer stadium view hotel, and one of the largest offices in Nagasaki Prefecture. With New Balance now participating, we believe there will be synergies not only in terms of sports but also in terms of fashion and culture. We hope that more people will want to visit, live and work in Nagasaki, and that the city of Nagasaki will become a place of pride for everyone."

New Balance, located at the crossroads of sportsand culture, is working to revitalize the Nagasaki region through sports.
Shinichi Kubota, President and CEO, New Balance Japan Co., Ltd.

Next, Shinichi Kubota, President of New Balance Japan, took the stage and announced that New Balance will open a new store at Nagasaki Stadium City and that the company will become Japan's first B.LEAGUE partner as an official supplier to Nagasaki Velca.
President Kubota said, "Since its founding in 1906, New Balance has aimed to bring about and support positive change in communities around the world through sports and craftsmanship. New Balance will open an official store at Nagasaki Stadium City and become the official supplier of the B.LEAGUE team Nagasaki Velca. In Nagasaki Stadium City, where sports are closely linked to everyday life, we will open a store based on the concept of 'communication' and support the club, thereby livening up the basketball scene together. Furthermore, by collaborating with the store and professional sports to hold community-based events, New Balance aims to create a form of 'regional revitalization through sports.'"

To inspire Nagasaki through basketball and become a team that the local community can be proud of.
Takuma Ito, President and General Manager of Nagasaki Velca Co., Ltd., and Kanji Takahira, a player for Nagasaki Velca

Takuma Ito from Nagasaki Velca explained his thoughts on spreading regional revitalization through sports.
Ito said, "The fourth year since the opening of Nagasaki Stadium City will be a crucial year for Nagasaki Velca, from a basketball team in Nagasaki to a sports entertainment group representing Japan. Through Nagasaki Velca's motto "HAS IT!" (an acronym for HARD, AGGRESSIVE, SPEEDY, INNOVATIVE, TOGETHER), we will co-create with the local community, partner companies, and fans. The club is engaged in activities such as B-RAVE ONE, which invites children from remote islands with distance disadvantages to games, and VCDP (Velca Coaching Development Program) to develop youth and young coaches. In the future, together with New Balance, we would like to develop the potential of children who will lead the next generation. The uniform design was announced at the Nagasaki Velca new organization announcement meeting on August 30th. It is the best in terms of appearance and functionality, so please look forward to it."

Finally, Nagasaki Velca player Kanji Takahira took the stage to speak about his feelings for Nagasaki and his expectations for the efforts of these three companies.
Takahira said, "I am very pleased to be able to compete with New Balance as our uniform supplier this season when Nagasaki Stadium City opens. As a professional athlete, I have been thinking about what I can do for the children who will be the future of our country, not just for basketball. I invite children from orphanages to games to help them learn about basketball, and for facilities where basketball is not possible, I provide basketball rings so that they can get involved in basketball. I would like to continue to do more activities together with New Balance to expand the potential of children."

■New Balance Nagasaki Stadium City Store DetailsAt New Balance Nagasaki Stadium City, the focus of the store is on people, not products. The space is designed around a symbolic community circle in the sales area, allowing natural communication between staff and customers, and among customers themselves. The store aims to bring people together, inspire each other, and find their own style. By displaying footwear and apparel together, customers can enjoy shopping while imagining the scenes in which they use the products in their daily lives.

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Name: New Balance Nagasaki Stadium City
Location: Nagasaki Stadium City South Building 3F, 7-1 Saiwai-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Business hours: 10:00-20:00
Phone number: TBA
Store URL:
https://company.newbalance.jp/store/official-store/nagasaki
Opening: Monday, October 14th (National Holiday)
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▼ About New Balance
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, New Balance has been empowering people through sport and craftsmanship since 1906, with the goal of creating positive change in communities around the world. New Balance employs 9,000 people worldwide and reports global sales of $6.5 billion in 2023. New Balance owns five athletic footwear factories in New England, USA, and one in Flimby, UK. New Balance's MADE in USA footwear is more than 70% domestically produced and accounts for a portion of the company's US sales.
For more information about New Balance, https://shop.newbalance.jp Please see.

▼ New Balance Japan Official Facebook Page
URL: https://www.facebook.com/NewBalanceJapan/

▼ New Balance Japan Official X @newbalance_jp
URL: https://twitter.com/newbalance_jp

▼ Membership service "myNB"
 https://shop.newbalance.jp/shop/pages/guide_mynb.aspx

■Various shops will open at Nagasaki Stadium City!
Each tenant is currently recruiting opening staff.
We will be holding a joint recruitment information session bringing together companies planning to open stores.

Date: (Sat) 7th 10:00-18:00
Venue: Dejima Messe Nagasaki Convention Hall

<List of participating companies>
CHUMS / Foodway / Dome United Co., Ltd. /
Tokyo Sundofu / PUMA JAPAN / Task Co., Ltd. / Transcosmos Inc. / Japanet Group
Please check the job content and working style at the recruitment information session.

▼Recruitment site
https://recruit.nagasakistadiumcity.com/