Sony Group Makes Takeover Offer for Camera-Lens Maker Tamron — Update

By Kosaku Narioka

Sony Group has made an offer to acquire Japanese camera-lens maker Tamron, as part of efforts to strengthen its camera business.

Tamron said Thursday that it received a nonbinding proposal from Sony, and that it has set up a special committee in response to the proposal to review various options. The camera-lens maker had a market capitalization of about $1.12 billion on Wednesday.

Tamron shares were indicated 26% higher Thursday in Tokyo as buy orders overwhelmed sell orders at their daily limit high level. No shares have changed hands.

Sony said it approached Tamron to create growth opportunities by leveraging the strengths of the two companies and believed that the proposal would enhance the common interests of Tamron's stakeholders. Neither Sony nor Tamron has disclosed details of the proposal such as the bid price or the timeline for the potential deal.

The Japanese entertainment and electronics company is one of the largest shareholders of Tamron, holding a stake of about 15% as of the end of last year.

Singapore-based activist investor Effissimo Capital Management has been raising its stake in Tamron in recent months. It held a stake of about 17% at the end of March.

Sony's Tamron bid indicates that camera and imaging technology remain important to Sony's strategy of bolstering its entertainment businesses such as games, movies and music.

Sony has spent billions of dollars on acquisitions in recent years to beef up its entertainment content while relinquishing control of businesses in other areas.

Just months after spinning off its financial business in October, Sony roughly doubled its stake in the company that owns the Snoopy, Charlie Brown and other Peanuts characters, to 80% for about $460 million.

Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 30, 2026 00:19 ET (04:19 GMT)