Hard Rock Japan plan

Hard Rock International has launched Hard Rock Japan with former Sands China senior executive Edward Tracy as its CEO.

His appointment is “a strategic move designed to support the company’s growth plans in the region”, says the company.

The new division follows Japan’s legislature approving the Integrated Resorts Promotion Bill, marking the first step toward legalising gaming in a market that investment bank CLSA gaming analysts estimate to be worth US$40 billion.

With 30 years’ experience in the Japanese market, where it has six Hard Rock Cafe locations, the company plans to expand its portfolio by becoming a contender for Japanese resort licences.

Tracy has held several positions within the gaming and hospitality industry. He joined Sands China, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, in July 2010 as president and COO. He became its CEO one year later, responsible for the oversight of about 13,000 hotel rooms and 30,000 employees, reports the Macau Daily Times.

Before Sands, Tracy was president and CEO of Capital Gaming, which runs regional casinos, and held similar positions at the Trump Organization, where he was responsible for managing 12,500 employees, 3000 hotel rooms and 240,000 sqft (22,296 sqm) of casino space.

In 2014, Harvard Business Review named Tracy as one of the “Best-Performing CEOs in the World” in its annual top-100 ranking in 2014.