Following J Front’s investment, Senshukai is working hard to realign itself as an omnichannel retailer. With close to 80% of sales coming from online, and a legacy supply chain reliant on wholesalers, this is a challenge, but it is now launching new brands designed for both store roll out and online sales, all with direct […]
After sales at department stores rose for the first time in 16 years in FY2013, most forecasts suggested those gains would be wiped out by the collapse in spending post-tax hike. This didn’t happen for most major stores in most big cities, even while regional stores continued their decline. The surge in tourism helped, but […]
Parco has a renewed sense of purpose, not to mention a decent budget, since being taken over by J Front Retailing. It will close its Chiba building, a good thing, and build a vast new tower in Shibuya. It will also open more Zerogate mini shop buildings in order to maximise its presence in key […]
Daimaru Shinsaibashi is to be closed and completely rebuilt over a three year period. The iconic Osaka store has suffered less than some of its rivals in the face of the big increase in department store sales space since 2011, but the building is ancient by Japanese standards and increasingly unsuitable for modern retailing. J […]
Senshukai is emerging as the most dynamic of the old catalogue-based direct marketers. Like Nissen it will become the hub for the omnichannel ambitions of a major retail conglomerate – its Belle Maison and Benebis brands now feature prominently in Daimaru-Matsuzakaya stores. Senshukai is also expanding in its own right, looking to the wedding business […]
Retail results for FY2014 show just how well corporate retailing weathered the impact of the consumption tax increase in April 2014. Market share for the largest companies continues to grow, as does the percentage of sales taken up by private brands, but dynamism is also reflected in the emergence of new success stories. These are […]
Omnichannel retailing seems to be the holy grail for retailing these days. Seven & I catalysed the strategy when it bought Nissen, aiming to make it the centre of an omnichannel retail empire, and many other major retailers are looking to incorporate e-commerce as part of a multi-channel strategy too. Now J Front has followed […]
Sales at department stores rose for the first time in 16 years in 2013 and by a solid percentage too. The uplift came from a splurge of high ticket consumption prior to the tax hike, investment in renovation and enlarging of city centre stores – not to mention much better management. Will it last? While […]
Despite fears of a downturn following the consumption tax increase in April, sales in many sectors remain strong. Although sales of high end art and jewellery sales were frenzied in March and remain weak as a result, department stores are reporting strong sales in luxury brands even now. Having jumped 20% year on year in […]
