FOCUS: Fashion: still the biggest e-commerce category – and still growing fast Our recent focus on e-commerce (JC1801) showed just how rapidly the channel is growing in Japan. One of the main drivers of this growth has been fashion, with apparel the biggest category overall by value and one of the top two fastest growing […]
FOCUS Drugstores stealing major share in food, cosmetics, and household goods Drugstores are the one retail sector to show consistent growth over the past decade. It is fast becoming a key channel for mass market cosmetics, health and medical supplies, as well as all types of foods, with some chains now already selling enough food […]
FOCUS: 100 Yen shops bask in growing discount economy The continuation of the ‘Great Wage Squeeze’ over the past two decades means more households are finding it harder to make ends meet. The retail response has been slow but Japan’s 100 Yen Shops were helping out from the start, emerging as a major feature of […]
E-Commerce 2017-2022: Relentless expansion changing Japanese distribution forever E-commerce sales grew just under 10% in 2016 at the most conservative estimate, and most analysts expect double digit growth for at least the next five years. While Japan lags behind other major markets like China, the US and UK in terms of e-commerce share of […]
FOCUS: Shopping Centres 2016-17: sales stagnate as consumer slowdown bites and tenants retreat After sales growth of 7% in 2015-16 and 4% in the previous two years, the top 100 shopping centres posted sales down a fraction in 2016-17. The top selling SCs fared worse than the sector as a whole, which rose 0.8%. The […]
FOCUS: Convenience Stores in 2017: top three chains claim 90% of the market, still struggle with e-commerce Convenience stores are Japan’s largest single retail sector, and the most concentrated. With Familymart acquiring Circle K Sunkus last year, the leading three chains now account for more than 90% of all sales. Only two major questions remain […]
FOCUS: Fashion Retailing 2016-17: sector contracts but big growth for the value innovators 2016-17 was a much tougher year for the fashion/apparel industry. Renewed pressure on prices from growing low price chains and e-commerce, and ongoing tougher trading in regional areas, meant a culling of small regional stores, and depressed sales at department stores, resulting […]
FOCUS: Department Stores FY2016: pulling out the axe again After two years of reaping the benefits of optimism among the comfortably off and frenzied purchasing of luxury by tourists, 2016 was a much harder year for department stores. They faced a return to the tough challenges of eking out a profit from declining sales. The […]
FOCUS: The State of Play in Japanese Retailing & Consumer Markets: Retail Results for FY2016: growth in the middle Lack of growth in retailing aside, most major retailers had another strong year in FY2016, but nothing near the clean sweep of 2015. A number of sectors fell back, partly due to stagnant ideas, particularly at […]
FOCUS: Vend me please, I’m Japanese Vending machines are so widely accepted here that even luxury brands sometimes make use of them. In April Chanel’s Ginza Six store introduced a new, high end lipstick vending machine, with each item dispensed with its own branded Chanel bag. Another overseas brand, Coca Cola, is also the largest […]
FOCUS: Home Fashion market expands within sluggish consumer economy IKEA Japan opened an online store last month, much earlier than expected, and partly in response to its first ever year of negative growth. This is good news for the Swedish retailer, but it may not be enough. The original momentum of its early years suggested […]
FOCUS: EC Success: best practices in selling online in Japan Kurt Salmon carried out its second Annual Digital Fulfilment Study in late 2016, not only providing a snapshot of the operational capabilities of Japan’s e-commerce retailers, but also offering insights into where Japan stands in comparison with other major markets. There are also some key […]
FOCUS: Fashion: The biggest e-commerce category – and still growing fast Our recent focus on e-commerce (JC1701) showed just how rapidly the sector is growing in Japan, catching up with other advanced markets, and in some ways surpassing them, especially in mobile e-commerce where Japan is now a global leader. One of the main drivers […]
FOCUS: Supermarkets becoming regional powerhouses as GMS chains flounder Japan’s supermarket sector remains extremely fragmented, but with consumers waking up to better deals and improved merchandising, some chains around the country are now making serious headway. A regionally diverse model is appearing, with individual chains now coming to dominate in particular areas. What is more, […]
FOCUS: E-commerce in Japan: 20% of retail by 2022 E-commerce will be Japan’s largest single retail channel by 2022. Having overtaken convenience stores to become the second biggest already in 2015, this is a forecast that few would challenge, although there are plenty of traditional retailers who are in deep denial. The only point of […]
FOCUS: Three chains mop up convenience store sector The convenience sector stands alone in terms of growth and innovation over the past 20 years. It is a format that suits Japan’s time-limited, urban consumer markets perfectly, but the leading companies have catered to this market with skill and dedication, making it the single most successful […]
FOCUS: Shopping Centres 2015-16: Top SCs surge nearly 7% on upgrades and tourism After sales growth of 4% in both FY2013 and 2014, the top 100 shopping centres posted their best year since 1995 last year, growing combined sales 7.1%. The top selling SCs fared better than the sector as a whole, but even then […]
FOCUS: Apparel Retailing 2015-16: specialty retailers surge ahead, led by top chains The apparel market overall contracted in 2015, but while small business and GMS chains lost out, big specialty retailers leapt ahead. It was a year of concentration and consolidation, with the top retailers across all formats taking share away from the rest. Independent […]
FOCUS Department Stores FY2015: the sun still shining but storm clouds gathering Department store sales are a bellwether for the spending patterns of two crucial market drivers in recent years: wealthy Japanese and tourists. Last year, both groups continued to support department stores, but most of the growth in spending was reserved for stores in […]
FOCUS Retail Results FY2015: one of the best years for retailing since the 1980s Japanese retailers had a remarkably good year in FY2015. Price increases helped of course but only three of the top 45 retail groups saw sales fall, and many posted sales in double digits. The strong performance was also across almost all […]
