by JapanConsuming.com
Uniqlo Australia saw sales up 35% to AU$570.2 million (about ¥56 billion) in the year to August 2023, with 36 stores now open in the country. The company faced increased wages and other expenses but says it will continue to … Read More »
Wholesale inflation slowed for a fifth month in a row in May 2023 thanks to falling fuel and commodity prices. The CGPI (Corporate goods price index) was still up 5.1% compared to the same month in 2022, but this is … Read More »
Uny will sell off its interests in China, as consolidation of the retailer’s business continues post-merger with Familymart.
E-commerce gross transaction values for Yahoo Japan jumped 33.8% April to September, hitting ¥862.5 billion. The addition of Askul (operators of Lohaco) to consolidated figures was the biggest contributing factor. EC sales grew 2.6 times to ¥246.1 billion, with Askul … Read More »
Ajinomoto has acquired the brands and logos for several popular instant coffee brands, including Blendy, Maxim and Triplesso. In April 2015, Ajinomoto bought out the 50% of Ajinomoto General Foods (AGF) still owned by Mondelez International, but the brands had … Read More »
Rakuten has acquired online drug seller Sokai Drug (www.soukai.com). Sokai was established by Sumitomo back in 2000, and has recently become a popular source of baby goods and petcare items. In 2016, sales were up 20.6% on last year, at … Read More »
LINE has acquired a 20% stake in Osaka-based online food takeout ordering company, Demaekan. The service currently boasts around 8.3 million members and 13,600 food suppliers, such as bento-box, noodle and sushi restaurants, all searchable by postcode. It aims to … Read More »
Nitori is rushing to open more department store tenancies – and department stores are eager to sign the leading furniture and home furnishings retailer. The latest announcement touts a 4,500 sqm store to Saikaya’s Fujisawa store, due to open in … Read More »
Isetan-Mitsukoshi has tied with the largest travel agency, JTB and parcel delivery firm Nittsu in a new joint venture called Fun!Japan Communications. JTB owns 50%, Nittsu 40%, and Isetan-Mitsukoshi the remainder. The new business is a recommendation and ordering service … Read More »
Aeon will open the first of its Picard franchise frozen food stores in Aoyama in late November. Picard is famous for its wide selection of frozen foods, particularly sea food and desserts, and has 1,000 stores across France, Italy and … Read More »
Another typically long-term, astronomically ambitious target has been set for Fast Retailing’s number two brand, GU. The lower positioned sister brand to Uniqlo has reached 350 stores in Japan, and will now begin a major expansion into Asia. It currently … Read More »
Exports of Japanese muscat grapes and melons are proving popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The grapes are reportedly selling for three times the rate in Japan. JA Kyowa in Hokkaido has also exported 30,000 raiden melons to Asia this … Read More »
On a value of points issued basis, Japan’s loyalty card market is forecast to hit ¥2.3 trillion by 2020. The market grew by 5.2% to ¥1.444 trillion in 2015. It has been boosted as retailers have jumped on the bandwagon … Read More »
Japan’s core consumer prices fell again in July, down at a quicker pace than any time in the past two and half years despite the government’s hope of forcing Japan back into inflation. Despite this, many foods and some other … Read More »
Spotify will launch its music streaming service in Japan at the end of September. The company has been planning the move since opening an office here about 18 months ago. It has big hopes for the market despite facing ‘dozens’ … Read More »
Marui will sell its Shinjuku Higashi-guchi building for ¥13 billion. The company has not announced who the buyer will be. The building has been part of Marui’s portfolio since 1962, and underwent numerous repositionings. For many years it was Marui’s … Read More »
Mitsubishi has held a 33.3% share in Lawson for years, and has been the de facto controller of the company covering everything from top management appointments down to strategy. It is now looking to boost its share to at least … Read More »
Otsuka Kagu opened a new store in Chiba on 15 September, located near to both Nitori and IKEA stores. The new store is 4,600 sqm and is part of Otsuka’s new strataegy aimed at returning to profit. The store is still positioned … Read More »
METI estimates that cross-border e-commerce sales from Japan to China will hit ¥2 trillion by 2019, up from ¥795 billion in 2015 – a figure that jumped by a third from the year before. Multiple companies, notably apparel retailers and … Read More »
Yamato has announced it plans to used out of service subway trains in Tokyo as part of its ever evolving parcel delivery service.