H&M is proving to be one of the fastest growing overseas apparel retailers ever in Japan. It now plans to open more small stores in city centres. Once it has worked out issues with its other chains here, these plans could make it one of the top 10 specialty apparel retailers in Japan in the […]
Itochu Shoji may already be the biggest fashion distributor among the Sogo Shosha but it plans a renewed push in brand distribution both at home, where it sees a significant uplift from the tourist market, and across Asia. It is looking for brands across a broad range of segments. Itochu Shoji signed Dutch fashion label […]
Large British fashion retailers haven’t had a great time of it in Japan, and last month the record got even worse after TopShop’s franchise partner suddenly closed all of its stores with little notice. TopShop is reported to be looking for a new partner, but when competitors have shown the merits of direct investment it […]
Overseas brands continue to find a ready market in Japan even with a weak Yen, both through distribution deals and direct subsidiaries. The latest include Épice, Bark, Helen Kaminski, Orla Kiely and Pandora. More overseas fashion brands are finding a ready market in Japan, and recently there has been a notable increase in interest in […]
Fung Group has an important stake in the Japanese apparel industry through its ownership of Kanematsu Textile, focused on supply services and some brand distribution rather than develop its own brands. From January a name change signifies a shift in thinking that will see the Japanese subsidiary develop into a major brand distributor of both […]
Burberry hopes to double or triple store numbers in the next few years, following the end of its license with Sanyo. The UK luxury brand has already been working hard to build up its directly managed stores but will really start to expand from this year. The closure of the cheaper and more basic licensed […]
Italian fashion retailer Fashion Box plans a major investment in its Japanese subsidiary in order to boost the sales and brand awareness of its Replay denim brand. It will strengthen womenswear, expand department store concessions, and open dedicated footwear stores. It also plans to contract with regional distributors. Fashion Box Japan has a new president […]
Tory Burch entered the Japanese market through Look in 2009 and has seen sales rise rapidly in the five years since. It will now take over Japanese distribution, giving it the margins needed to invest in building the brand further. For Look, the loss of such a powerful brand means a drop of 15% in […]
London-based Farfetch, a fast growing fashion e-commerce business, has just opened in Japan. It hopes to increase the number of Japanese shoppers at its more than 300 boutiques around the world, and encourage more Japanese boutiques to sell globally. UK-based online fashion store Farfetch has set up a local subsidiary in Japan. Farfetch was established […]
Although widely dismissed as too un-Japanese to succeed when it first opened in 1999, Costco’s wholesale clubs are a roaring success in Japan. In 2015 it will take its chain to some 24 stores nationwide with ambitions for double that number. The membership club format may be unusual in Japan, but then it is not […]
Itochu has distribution and license deals with a variety of bag and accessories brands such as Hunting World and part-owns Le Sportsac, but most of its brands are mid to upper end with little mass market presence. It has just signed a deal with the UK’s Accessorize chain to fix this. Itochu has signed an […]
H&M will bring a fourth chain, Cos, to Japan this month. Cos is a completely different target market from H&M, Weekday and Monki, however, with higher price points and a combination of quality design and yet still accessible prices that could spell trouble for department store brands from Japanese apparel firms. H&M Japan will open […]
German bag brand MCM was a major hit in Japan in the 1980s but pulled out more than a decade ago due to weak sales. Since being taken over by a Korean retailer, the brand has seen a revival and will relaunch in Japan this month with ambitious plans for sales of ¥10 billion in […]
One of the most luxurious brands in the world, Brunello Cucinell is now in charge of its own distribution in Japan. Sales are up and much needed investment in upgrading department store concessions will continue this year culminating in the opening of a flagship in Ginza in Autumn 2015. Brunello Cucinelli Japan was established in […]
The history of joint ventures and franchises between UK apparel retailers and Japanese partners has not been a happy one on the whole. Oasis, Warehouse and French Connection are just some of the chains which have opened with a bang and then left the market soon after. The UK giant Next is still here after […]
Strong sales at department stores and select shop chains mean demand for premium overseas brands continues unabated. This benefits not only the brands themselves, but also distributors, leading to a resurgence in activity, even among former dullards of the industry like Toray Diplomode. Others such as Look are going from strength to strength. Demand for […]
Thanks to its Chinese shareholders, Baroque Japan is now gearing up for a new life as a multinational fashion retailer. Last month it showcased four new apparel brands aimed at both increasing market share at home and accelerating expansion in Asia, while also launching a new footwear chain. Baroque held a trade exhibition for its […]
Itochu has more than 150 brands under management, with a portfolio management style akin to a music conglomerate, continually questing for new prospects. Its latest signings include Emanuel Ungaro, Eastpak, Hunter and Breuer, all on behalf of Coronet, which is becoming a major player in brand distribution once more. Itochu Shoji snapped up a few […]
Inditex Japan now has four of its Spanish parent’s brands operating here, and based on plans for the rest of this year, looks like entering a new phase of expansion, creating one of the largest foreign retail businesses in Japan. Stradivarius’s launch in Japan in January and Zara Home’s new flagship in Aoyama were met […]
One of the oldest and most exclusive European bag brands is finally coming to Japan thanks to investment by Li & Fung. Delvaux will open here in August and plans a string of stores and concessions over the next five years. Delvaux, the Belgian bag brand which claims to be the oldest leather goods manufacturer […]
