Furnished apartment rental provider Blueground Wednesday
announced plans to expand operations into Japan this year through its first
franchise agreement.
In partnership with Mitsubishi Estate,
Blueground plans to launch “an extensive network” of 13,000 furnished
apartments across “major cities in Japan,” the company said in a
statement. The companies expect to launch Blueground Japan in March, with plans
to open the first 10,000 apartments by 2030, a Blueground spokesperson told
BTN.
The first Blueground in Japan will launch in Tokyo this
year, the spokesperson said. Beginning “In 2025, Blueground will open
Osaka and Yokohama, followed by Fukuoka in 2026,” the spokesperson said,
adding that the remaining cities include Kobe, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Sendai
and Sapporo.
Through the partnership, Mitsubishi Estate gains access to Blueground’s “proprietary technology,”
including its operating systems, pricing model and Guest App, the company said.
Additionally, Blueground has established a “dedicated implementation
team” for “ongoing support” of Mitsubishi Estate in Japan, and future
franchise partners.
Blueground’s partnership with
Mitsubishi Estate is a 20-year agreement, the Blueground spokesperson said. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed in
the announcement.
Blueground’s current portfolio comprises
15,000 apartments across 32 cities.
