is a chain of eikaiwa schools (English conversation schools) in Japan. The company was founded in July 1995Metropolis issue 387 Leading the Way Retrieved June 11, 2014Gaba website Press release Retrieved April 2, 2012 and is currently headquartered in Shinjuku Ward in Tokyo with learning studios in the Tokyo, Chiba, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Fukuoka areas. The current president and CEO is Daisuke Terada.Gaba Corporation website CEOメッセージ Retrieved June 11, 2014Gaba Corporation website 代表取締役の異動に関するお知らせ March 5, 2015 Retrieved March 8, 2015
The company provides language lessons on a "one-to-one" (one student and one teacher) basis and using textbook lessons and online (computerized) instructor aids, language and vocabulary drills, and guided conversation topics.Business Week Business Week, Gaba Corporation Details Retrieved June 11, 2014
As of July 2019 the company has 50 learning studios.Gaba Corporation website ラーニングスタジオ Retrieved May 1, 2017 In January it had 615 staff and 851 sub-contracted instructors across Japan.Gaba Corporation website Company information Retrieved March 14, 2020 In November 2013 it was reported that Gaba had 21,300 students.Japan Times Six years following bankruptcy, Nova boosts the brand November 3, 2013 Retrieved October 6, 2014
Meaning of the company name The company name "GABA" is an acronym for "girls, be ambitious; boys, be audacious!".Webcitation.org Webcite Gaba Query Result Retrieved June 11, 2014 According to a speech given by co-founder Hideki Yoshino, he chose this name because he had a keen interest in physical fitness, and named it after Gamma-Aminobutyric acid, an amino acid used by bodybuilders. Many other large Japanese English conversation schools at the time also had four letter names, such as Nova, GEOS, and Aeon, and giving the school a four letter name would help it fit in.
Gaba describes itself as a "man-to-man eikaiwa". In Japanese, "man-tsū-man" (マンツーマン), a katakana phrase adapted from English, means "one-to-one", referring to the company's one student/one instructor lesson style.Gaba Corporation website Homepage Retrieved June 11, 2014
History
Founding and early history Gaba was founded in 1995 by Karen and Hideki Yoshino. It was originally a matching service for students and teachers, and lessons were conducted in various locations, such as coffee shops or at teachers' homes. From 2000, the company established schools, referred to as "Learning Studios" where students, referred to as clients, and teachers, referred to as instructors, met, and lessons were conducted.Gaba homepage History Retrieved June 11, 2014
In March 2004, Chutatsu Aono (青野 仲達) became the president and CEO.
In July 2004, Gaba was purchased by NIF Capital Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of NIF Ventures Co Ltd, in turn a subsidiary of Daiwa Securities. According to the Nikkei Shimbun, the price was several billion yen.ELT news NIF buys Gaba July 22, 2004 Retrieved June 11, 2014 It went public in December 2006, and had a valuation of 11.39 billion yen.GABA to Launch IPO on December 1, 2006 November 1, 2006 Retrieved June 11, 2014 The majority stockholder was Daiwa Securities, which owned 60.38% of Gaba's stock.2010 Stock Exchange Report Stockholder information page 39 Retrieved June 11, 2014
Due to declining business performance the firm underwent a major transformation at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. In October 2008, Kenji Kamiyama joined the company as COO and Senior Managing Executive Officer. In March 2009 he replaced Chutatsu Aono as president and CEO, and the position of COO was abolished. Kamiyama's focus was to reduce "wasteful expenditure" and to lead a rejuvenation of the profit and loss and balance sheets. During Aono's presidency the firm expanded its number of Learning Studios, but also maintained its headquarters in the expensive GT Tower in Nakameguro, launched the ill-fated Global Stars initiative, and made decisions such as holding its company sports day in May 2007 at Tokyo Dome.
The firm reported having over 18,000 students in September 2010.Instructor Times, page 3, February 2011
On August 5, 2011, it was announced that Nichii Gakkan would purchase Gaba and make it a wholly owned subsidiary.Nikkei website Nichii Gakkan To Launch Tender Offer For Gaba Retrieved August 8, 2011 This takeover was effective as of September 29, 2011.Reuters Nichii Gakkan Company Completes Takeover Bid for Shares of Gaba Corporation Retrieved October 13, 2011
Following Gaba's sale to Nichii Gakkan, effective December 5, 2011 Kenji Kamiyama stepped down as president, chief executive officer and Representative Director of Gaba,Reuters Kenji Kamiyama information Retrieved November 2nd 2011 and was replaced by Bruce Anderson, and Takayuki Masuda became the vice-president. On March 29, 2012, Masuda succeeded Anderson as president.
In November 2013 it was reported that Gaba had 21,300 students.
President Takayuki Masuda was replaced by Masatoshi Saito on April 1, 2015. He was replaced by Daisuke Terada on December 1, 2017.代表取締役の異動に関するお知らせ November 8, 2017 Retrieved March 14, 2020 Terada will be replaced by Makoto Nakamura on April 1, 2020.代表取締役の異動に関するお知らせ March 2, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020
Stock Price as a publicly listed company Gaba went public on December 5, 2006, and was listed as on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Its initial stock price opened at 255,000 yen per share, but the prices gradually fell from this level to the point where on March 4, 2009, the stock price was closing at 13,900 yen. After that the stock price gradually rose, reaching 162,700 on March 7, 2011. After the Tohoku earthquake it fell, at its lowest point closing at 82,100 on March 15. Subsequently, it rebounded, and after the August 5, 2011 announcementDaiwa website August 5 Press release Retrieved June 11, 2014 that Nichii Gakkan had launched a take over bid for Gaba paying 200,000 yen per share, the stock price rose to 199,000 on August 15, 2011.Bloomberg Gaba information Retrieved August 5, 2011 The tender offer opened August 8 and expired September 21.Nikkei website Nichii Gakkan To Launch Tender Offer For Gaba Retrieved August 16, 2011 As of September 29, 2011 Nichii Gakkan owned 98.88% of Gaba's shares and Daiwa Securities held no voting rights in Gaba.Reuters Nichii Gakkan Company Completes Takeover Bid for Shares of Gaba Corporation Retrieved October 13, 2011
In 2011 Gaba became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nichii Gakkan. which purchased the company a from Daiwa Securities and other shareholders for 10,100,000,000 yen; on November 30, 2011, Gaba corporation's stock was removed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange .Gaba Corporation website Gaba Corporation Acquired by Nichii Gakkan November 2, 2011 Retrieved June 11, 2014 Nichii Gakkan expected Gaba to begin contributing to business results from the second half of fiscal year 2012, with net sales of 4,300,000,000 and an operating income of 400,000,000.Nichii Gakkan website 2012 Financial Results Briefing Document November 8, 2011 page 23 Retrieved June 11, 2014
Learning Studio history Gaba has added at least one Learning Studio every year from 2000 onward. Generally, they are named after the area they are located in, although some are named after the station they are closest to. The first were opened in March 2000, with the Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Jiyugaoka and Yokohama schools.
On July 13, 2005, Gaba opened a 'next generation' learning studio designed specifically for women in Ginza. It provided VIP "executive booths" that afforded complete privacy for the lesson.Yomiuri Online July 13, 2005 女性向けの次世代型英会話スタジオ誕生 Retrieved August 31, 2010 Asahi Shimbun website GABAマンツーマン英会話 女性向けのハイクオリティな英会話習得サービスを追求した次世代型ラーニングスタジオを東京・銀座4丁目にオープンのお知らせ June 16, 2005 Retrieved June 11, 2014 English conversation schools often gear marketing campaigns towards women, with strategies the focus on couplings between Japan and the other, represented and embodied by professional/romantic/sexual pairings between western instructors and female Japanese students.Kerion Baily, 2002. "Living in the Eikaiwa Wonderland: English Language Learning, Socioeconomic Transformation and Gender Alterities in Modern Japan." Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Kentucky, Lexington. The Ginza LS was later moved to Yurakucho, and no longer caters to an exclusively female clientele.Gaba Corporation website JR有楽町駅前に2012年5月7日 「銀座有楽町ラーニングスタジオ」移転オープン February 28, 2012 Retrieved June 11, 2014
By May 1, 2017, the firm has forty-five Learning Studios in Japan. The vast majority of them are located in the Kanto region (34), with the remaining LSs being in Chubu (2), Kansai (6) and Kyushu (1).Gaba Corporation website 福岡天神 ラーニングスタジオ Retrieved September 8, 2016
As of May 2020, clients can choose to take their lessons in the studio or online. Instructors continue to teach from their respective Learning Studios. In light of the pandemic, all instructors are required to wear both masks and face shields during offline lessons and masks in online lessons.
In late 2020, Gaba closed 10 of its Learning Studios (Hiroshima LS, Kyoto Ekimae LS, Sendai LS, Tsukuba LS, Sapporo LS, Aobadai LS, Fukuoka-Tenjin LS, Omotesando LS, Roppongi LS, Shimokitazawa LS) and a further 4 studios at the end of 2020 (Akasaka LS, Shinjuku East LS, Shimbashi LS, Tokyo LS).
Headquarters Until November 2009, the firm had two buildings, the "Support Centre" in the GT Tower in Nakameguro, effectively the company headquarters and a "Quality Centre", where training was conducted in Ebisu. From November 16, 2009, the Support Centre moved to "Round Cross Moto-Yoyogi" building (now known as "Glass City") in Moto-yoyogi in Shibuya-ku,Gaba Corporation website 本社移転に関するお知らせ August 20, 2009 Retrieved June 11, 2014Gaba website 本社移転に関するお知らせ October 16, 2009 and on November 24 the "Quality Centre" did so too. After the closure of the Ikebukuro Annex, Gaba's Japanese classes, "Jaba", relocated there also.
On August 11, 2014, Gaba's headquarters moved to the "Shinjuku Front Tower" in Kita-Shinjuku.Gaba Corporation website 本社移転に関するお知らせ 2014年8月11日（月） Retrieved June 11, 2014
Global Stars and Gaba Kids In early 2008 Global Stars, a section of the business for teaching one-on-one lessons to children was launched. There were designated "Learning Fields" established in Hiroo and Seijo, as well as "Learning Field-enabled Learning Studios" in Ebisu and Tachikawa. There was not enough demand; the Learning Fields in Hiroo and Seijo were closed in 2009, and Gaba Global Stars was merged into a number of regular leaning studios. From 1 September 2009, Gaba Global Stars was officially re-branded Gaba Kids. It is offered in a number of Learning Studios in the Kanto area and Gaba.
In November 2015 Gaba launched "and Gaba.", a free conversation space in Shibuya, Tokyo.Gaba Corporation website マンツーマン英会話スクールを運営する株式会社GABA（ガバ）（本社：東京都新宿区、代表取締役：齊藤正俊）は、11月19日（木）、気軽に英語体験ができる場「and Gaba.（アンドガバ）」を渋谷モディ5階にオープンいたします。 Retrieved March 16, 2016Gaba Corporation website and Gaba Retrieved March 16, 2016
Textbooks In February 2002, Gaba launched the Snapshots series of seven textbooks. They were designed to teach grammar points by combining a story about a mixed group of young Japanese and English-speaking characters interacting all over the world. The firm later created online drills for use with the textbooks. In June 2003, a second line of textbooks, Planet, was created. They were designed to teach travel English, with more focus on situations than specific grammar. In July 2004, the Career textbooks were launched. The three books were focused more on situations, in this case business situations, than specific grammar. The firm also used a variety of non-Gaba textbooks for both daily conversation and business English lessons.