The Walt Disney Company has purchased Yamaha Motor Corp.'s longtime Southern California headquarters for approximately $115 million, as Yamaha prepares to relocate its remaining U.S. headquarters operations to Georgia [1]. The transaction, which closed on September 23, involves a roughly 25-acre industrial-zoned campus at 6555 Katella Ave. in Cypress, California, featuring about 279,000 square feet of warehouse, flex, and office space [1]. Disney stated that the acquisition will support its long-term operational and evolving business needs, with the property expected to be used for non-guest-facing, or 'back-of-house,' operations several miles from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim [1].
Yamaha Motor announced in February its intention to sell the Cypress property and move its headquarters functions to Kennesaw, Georgia, aiming to improve asset efficiency and profitability in its American operations [1]. The transition is scheduled to occur from the end of 2026 through the end of 2028, utilizing a sale-and-leaseback arrangement to maintain business continuity. Yamaha will lease back the Cypress property through December 31, 2028 [1]. The restructuring is driven by the need to improve profitability amid higher costs from U.S. tariffs and changes in the market environment [1].
Yamaha has maintained a presence at the Cypress site for nearly five decades, with its parent company acquiring the land in 1978 and establishing the office the following year [1]. The company already has a significant footprint in Georgia, with its marine business relocating to Kennesaw in 1999 and motorsports operations following in 2019. Yamaha employs more than 2,300 people in Georgia, including approximately 2,000 workers at its manufacturing facility in Newnan, according to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's office [1]. Kemp welcomed Yamaha's headquarters relocation, emphasizing Georgia's status as the 'No. 1 state for business' [1].
FOX Business has reached out to Disney and Yamaha for additional comment, but no further statements were provided at the time of reporting [1].
CONCLUSION
Disney's acquisition of Yamaha's California headquarters for $115 million marks a strategic move to expand its operational capacity, while Yamaha's relocation to Georgia is aimed at improving profitability and asset efficiency. The sale-and-leaseback arrangement ensures business continuity for Yamaha through 2028. The transaction reflects ongoing shifts in corporate real estate and operational strategies in response to market and tariff pressures.