noren

Noren, are short curtains with vertical slits hung in front of restaurants, bars, and shops during business hours. The name of the shop or a symbol indicating the products sold there may be dyed into the cloth, so the noren also functions as a shop sign. Since a shop's noren symbolizes the shop, the term has also come to refer to a business's goodwill. Allowing an employee to set up a shop with the same name is called noren‐wake (sharing the noren).

Noren has the same meaning as a brand in English. The term "noren-dai" is often used in business to mean the brand value a company has when it is acquired.