Canon buys photo startup

UK-Japan News May 2017

Canon Inc. is buying UK startup Kite, a firm that allows people to use photos from their smartphones for albums, mugs and phone cases, The Japan Times reported on 29 March.

Best-known for printers and cameras, Canon saw revenue from the latter segment decline to ¥667.5bn last year from ¥970.3bn in 2013. The firm is looking to address the shift towards taking photos on mobile phones.

The deal follows Canon’s acquisition of London-based photo-sharing service, Lifecake.