Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Trial was already one of Japan's leading discount retailers with a strong network of stores down south in Japan although rather low margins.</li>
<li>Buying Seiyu transforms this local retailer into a national champion and one of the top 10, with a highly complementary set of stores, product expertise, warehouses and tech.</li>
<li>Together, the two will now be able to take on Aeon, Seven &amp; I, PPI and other major retailers in building the first true national grocery chains in Japan.</li>
</ul>


Trial was already one of Japan's leading discount retailers with a strong network of stores down south in Japan although rather low margins.
Buying Seiyu transforms this local retailer into a national champion and one of the top 10, with a highly complementary set of stores, product expertise, warehouses and tech.
Together, the two will now be able to take on Aeon, Seven &amp; I, PPI and other major retailers in building the first true national grocery chains in Japan.


Trial a Top 10 Retailer After Seiyu Purchase from KKR (With Big Synergies)

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

<ul>
<li>The March 2025 Nikkei 225 review came out with a sparse set of changes. That gives us hints for the September 2025 review.</li>
<li>I see one ADD and one DELETE. Fast Retailing capping is right on the border. BayCurrent will see an upweight.</li>
<li>The lack of effort to address sector imbalances within the rules suggests the rules are not as hard as people thought. <em>Intra-review changes</em> could be more interesting in years ahead.</li>
</ul>


The March 2025 Nikkei 225 review came out with a sparse set of changes. That gives us hints for the September 2025 review.
I see one ADD and one DELETE. Fast Retailing capping is right on the border. BayCurrent will see an upweight.
The lack of effort to address sector imbalances within the rules suggests the rules are not as hard as people thought. Intra-review changes could be more interesting in years ahead.


Nikkei 225 Sep25 Rebal: One ADD, One DELETE Probable - Less Interesting Than Before

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>World may finally have found the key to real growth after years of trying to build a fashion retail business in shopping centres, but with limited success.</li>
<li>The big problem was that it didn’t have the supply chain skills to compete with the big retailers like Uniqlo and Adastria.</li>
<li>Buying the supplier that helped grow those same chains means World now has a real chance to enter the big leagues.</li>
</ul>


World may finally have found the key to real growth after years of trying to build a fashion retail business in shopping centres, but with limited success.
The big problem was that it didn’t have the supply chain skills to compete with the big retailers like Uniqlo and Adastria.
Buying the supplier that helped grow those same chains means World now has a real chance to enter the big leagues.


Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>The changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nikkei-225" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22909:1" rel="noopener">Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX)</a> as part of the March rebalance should be announced in just over 2 weeks. We expect 2-3 changes at the review.</li>
<li>The forecast adds have massively outperformed the forecast deletes and the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nikkei-225" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22909:1" rel="noopener">Nikkei225 Index</a> over every time period going back 3 months with the largest outperformance in the last month.</li>
<li>Positioning appears to be stretched in one forecast add while there appears to be under positioning in a couple of the forecast deletes.</li>
</ul>


The changes to the Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX) as part of the March rebalance should be announced in just over 2 weeks. We expect 2-3 changes at the review.
The forecast adds have massively outperformed the forecast deletes and the Nikkei225 Index over every time period going back 3 months with the largest outperformance in the last month.
Positioning appears to be stretched in one forecast add while there appears to be under positioning in a couple of the forecast deletes.


Nikkei 225 Index Rebalance: Performance of Potential Adds/Deletes & Positioning

<ul>
<li>The data observation period is done. No rank changes in the top candidates since mid-Jan. Capping for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fast-retailing-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:751:1" rel="noopener">Fast Retailing (9983 JP)</a> is confirmed. </li>
<li>For me, it is 2 or 3 ADDs, depending. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kokusai-electric-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:40152:1" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric (6525 JP)</a> is still tops. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baycurrent-consulting-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25985:1" rel="noopener">BayCurrent Consulting (6532 JP)</a> second. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shift-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7266:1" rel="noopener">Shift Inc (3697 JP)</a> third.</li>
<li>Kokusai is +26.7% in 5 weeks since I <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-6525-upcoming-lockup-expiry-and-big-index-demand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> bullishly, despite news/confirmation of getting the boot from a global index at end-Feb. Baycurrent is +39.7% (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/baycurrent-consulting-6532-high-growth-ok-multiple-big-index-inclusion-coming-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">link</a>). Now we count flows.</li>
</ul>


The data observation period is done. No rank changes in the top candidates since mid-Jan. Capping for Fast Retailing (9983 JP) is confirmed. 
For me, it is 2 or 3 ADDs, depending. Kokusai Electric (6525 JP) is still tops. BayCurrent Consulting (6532 JP) second. Shift Inc (3697 JP) third.
Kokusai is +26.7% in 5 weeks since I wrote bullishly, despite news/confirmation of getting the boot from a global index at end-Feb. Baycurrent is +39.7% (link). Now we count flows.


[Quiddity Index Feb25] Nikkei 225 Mar Rebal: 2 or 3 IN, 2 or 3 OUT, ~$3bn 1-Way, 1 Squeeze.

Japan

Pan Pacific International Holdings Corporation operates discount stores which sell consumer electronics, daily necessities, groceries, watches, and sporting goods. The Company mostly operates small scale stores based in Tokyo.

Pan Pacific International Holdings (7532 JP)

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Pan Pacific International Holdings (7532 JP)

Trial a Top 10 Retailer After Seiyu Purchase from KKR (With Big Synergies)

Trial, a leading discounter in Japan, becomes a national champion by acquiring Seiyu, creating a strong competitor to major retailers in building...

Michael Causton

Nikkei 225 Sep25 Rebal: One ADD, One DELETE Probable - Less Interesting Than Before

The September 2025 Nikkei 225 Review may be a boring affair. The changes in March 2025 suggest a lack of effort to address sector imbalance so for...

Travis Lundy

World Buys Mitsubishi Clothing Business

World has found the key to growth by acquiring a supplier business owned by Mitsubishi Corp to compete with big retailers like Uniqlo and Adastria.

Michael Causton

Nikkei 225 Index Rebalance: Performance of Potential Adds/Deletes & Positioning

The forecast adds have strongly outperformed the forecast deletes over the last month. Positioning appears stretched in 1 add while there is under...

Brian Freitas

[Quiddity Index Feb25] Nikkei 225 Mar Rebal: 2 or 3 IN, 2 or 3 OUT, ~$3bn 1-Way, 1 Squeeze.

This is the last Nikkei rebal preview before announcement. We have capping confirmed for Fastie, and the three ADDs have been doing well. There are...

Travis Lundy

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Trial a Top 10 Retailer After Seiyu Purchase from KKR (With Big Synergies)

​Trial, a leading discounter in Japan, becomes a national champion by acquiring Seiyu, creating a strong competitor to major retailers in building...

Michael Causton

Nikkei 225 Sep25 Rebal: One ADD, One DELETE Probable - Less Interesting Than Before

The September 2025 Nikkei 225 Review may be a boring affair. The changes in March 2025 suggest a lack of effort to address sector imbalance so for...

Travis Lundy

World Buys Mitsubishi Clothing Business

​World has found the key to growth by acquiring a supplier business owned by Mitsubishi Corp to compete with big retailers like Uniqlo and Adastria.

Michael Causton

Nikkei 225 Index Rebalance: Performance of Potential Adds/Deletes & Positioning

The forecast adds have strongly outperformed the forecast deletes over the last month. Positioning appears stretched in 1 add while there is under...

Brian Freitas

[Quiddity Index Feb25] Nikkei 225 Mar Rebal: 2 or 3 IN, 2 or 3 OUT, ~$3bn 1-Way, 1 Squeeze.

This is the last Nikkei rebal preview before announcement. We have capping confirmed for Fastie, and the three ADDs have been doing well. There are...

Travis Lundy

Trial, a leading discounter in Japan, becomes a national champion by acquiring Seiyu, creating a strong competitor to major retailers in building...

World has found the key to growth by acquiring a supplier business owned by Mitsubishi Corp to compete with big retailers like Uniqlo and Adastria.