The top 100 shopping centres continue to grow. After a great year in FY2013, with sales rising an average of 4.2%, the leading SCs overcame the downturn in spending in 1H2014 to finish with another 3.9% jump in FY2014. The top selling SCs fared much better than the sector as a whole, which was flat […]
In November Mitsui will open its biggest Lalaport shopping centre and the largest single SC in the country to date. The Expocity Lalaport will open in northern Osaka. 2015 marks 35 years since the first Lalaport opened and this year has been the busiest yet in terms of SC openings. Mitsui Real Estate’s largest ever […]
Mitsui Real Estate will open five major malls this year, including its first outlet mall in Hokuriku and a 90,000 sqm mega mall in Osaka. While Aeon plans to add even more new leasable space this year, Mitsui still remains the second biggest SC developer by new mall development, and continues to consolidate its SC […]
The big Japanese trading companies are key conduits in domestic apparel and fashion distribution. They supply yarn, buttons and other parts, clothing, accessories and footwear to most of the high street retailers, while also acting as distributors for hundreds of overseas brands. Their role is changing, however, as more foreign brands operate directly in Japan […]
Outlet Malls continue to expand in Japan and Mitsui and Mitsubishi lead the way with some 80% of the market. The malls are now so popular and generate such traffic, both from domestic customers and tourists, that more and more brands are opening outlet stores with much wider strategic intent than just to sell off […]
Despite tight labour markets in construction and retail which led Aeon and others to halve the number of planned SCs this year, 2015 looks like being another strong year for new shopping malls, both in suburban and city centre locations, with Nagoya a particular focus for investment. 2015 looks set to be another strong year […]
Shopping centres had a great year in FY2013 thanks to higher spending on fashions, food and lifestyle goods. The top selling SCs fared much better than the sector as a whole. The increase in spending before the tax hike on non-essential high ticket items such as fashion and the sharp rise in tourism helped lift […]
The rapid growth in e-commerce is leading to huge demand for state of the art distribution facilities and support. With Amazon Japan leading from the front, all the major players, and even the smaller ones, are now expected to provide short lead times at very low cost to the final customer but the cost of […]
The number of newly opened SCs doubled in 2013 compared to 2012, and a similar number is in the pipeline for this year too. More competition is good news for retailers and brands, but means choosing ever more carefully where to locate stores and which retailers to sell to. A shift towards more diverse merchandising […]
Railway operators continue to accumulate more share of retail sales, with a welcome impact on their bottom line. As well as upgrades to existing buildings, making stations much more attractive places to shop and dine, railway operators and partner developers like Aeon are building more station shopping centres every year with wide variation in SC […]
