SCALA Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Representative Executive Officer and President: Hideaki Nitta, Securities Code: 4845, hereinafter "SCALA") announces that its Board of Directors resolved on July 1, 2026, to acquire all shares of HATO Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "HATO") through its consolidated subsidiary, Scala Place Inc. (hereinafter "Scala Place"), thereby making HATO a subsidiary. 1. Background and Purpose Since its founding in 1991, SCALA has achieved continuous growth with its unique business model by flexibly responding to customer needs through IT, new business development, and finance. Aiming for further corporate growth, in the "Medium-Term Management Plan 2026-2028" announced on September 25, 2025, we formulated the mission and values of our group, set important themes such as creating new value and improving AI technology, and announced our plan to proactively pursue M&A that maximizes synergy with our current business portfolio. In the TCG business handled by Scala Place, for over 20 years since its inception as a web-only business, we have accumulated a wide range of trading card purchases, sales, strategy media, and in-house system development, valuing the enjoyment of Scala Place employees and users as a card shop for TCG players. As a result, our membership has reached 370,000, and our platform site has grown to exceed 20 million monthly PVs. The TCG market has been rapidly expanding in recent years, driven by the influence of popular YouTubers, the return of former players, the increasing asset value of rare cards, and the enhancement of collectibility, with the domestic and international TCG market size continuing to grow. In this market environment, Scala Place has been considering entry into the physical store business as one of its important management challenges, in addition to its strengths in web shops cultivated so far, to achieve further business growth and expand customer touchpoints. Physical stores enable direct customer relationship building