Michael Causton

Japan Retail and Consumer Specialist

JapanConsuming

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>The following is an in-depth review of the Japanese retail sector in 2021-22 and is designed to provide a complete overview for any investor in Japanese retail/consumer markets.</li>
<li>FY2021-22 proved a rebound year for retailers at the sector level. But on a company by company basis, there has been radical divergence between the best and the rest. </li>
<li>We look at the reasons for this divergence and the implications for Japanese retail and consumer firms in the years ahead.</li>
</ul>

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/welcia-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20895:1" rel="noopener">Welcia Holdings (3141 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tsuruha-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9536:1" rel="noopener">Tsuruha Holdings (3391 JP)</a>, the country’s leading drugstore chains, are both looking to expand quickly in Kyushu after only entering the market recently. </li>
<li>This won’t be easy. Kyushu is full of discount retailers led by one of the best discounters, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cosmos-pharmaceutical-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3797:1" rel="noopener">Cosmos Pharmaceutical (3349 JP)</a>, which is also a leading drugstore chain.</li>
<li>But building a significant market share in the Kyushu market is crucial to competing nationally with these emerging discount leaders.</li>
</ul>

The following is an in-depth review of Japanese retail in the last 18 months covering all the main formats and categories, providing a quick way to see an overview of all the key trends and winners and losers in Japanese retailing now and going forward.FY2020 was an anomaly and one that businesses everywhere will want to forget and never repeat. There was more than enough pain among Japan’s top retailers last year, but equally some formats did surprisingly well given the circumstances.For most, work-from-home was the single most important factor in determining a chain’s fortunes. City-centre stores and shopping centres offering mostly discretionary shopping have been hit hard, as have convenience stores.But those chains selling essentials, healthcare, electronics and, most importantly, food, all saw their fortunes improve. The pandemic has also revealed the strong, dynamic players and exposed the weaker ones. Oh, and everyone needs to be online.

<ul>
<li>Aeon just announced record revenues of more than ¥9 trillion for FY2022. </li>
<li>Its supermarkets, mall developments and drugstores continue to strengthen and even the GMS business had a good year even if it still a way to go to generate consistent profit.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, Aeon plans to pour ¥150 billion a year into group-wide digital technologies, after launching the most advanced food online operation Japan has seen yet this month.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>It has taken three years to build and set up but Aeon will finally open its first automated warehouse for online food sales in Chiba this summer. </li>
<li>The warehouse will run on technology from Ocado and act as the backend for a completely new online supermarket called Green Beans.</li>
<li>A second warehouse is due to come online in 2026, expanding sales to all of Tokyo and into Kanagawa. This is the most advanced food e-commerce operation in Japan.</li>
</ul>

Japan

WELCIA HOLDINGS CO.,LTD. is a holding company established through a merger of Welcia Kanto and Takada Pharmacy.  The Group mainly operates drug chain stores which sell medicines, health foods, cosmetics, nursery items and daily necessity goods.

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Welcia Holdings (3141 JP)

Japanese Retailing 2021-22: What's Really Going on and What's Next?

There is increasing divergence between the winners and losers in Japanese retailing and the following in-depth review looks at performance in the...

Michael Causton

Welcia Challenges Cosmos in Kyushu

Kyushu has become a hotbed of retail competition, especially in discount and drugstores. Aeon is determined to undermine the local champions,...

Michael Causton

The Polarising Pandemic in Japanese Retail

A complete review of the Japanese retail sector in the last 18 months, format by format, category by category, providing key trends and winners &...

Michael Causton

Aeon: All Signs Point to Higher Returns

Aeon has long been famous for low margins and an empire of diverse business units with less than stellar efficiency. The last five years have seen...

Michael Causton

Aeon to Launch Ground-Breaking Online Food Business

Aeon is now officially a major e-commerce business, after years of having barely any skin in the game. The potential of its new Ocado-backed online...

Michael Causton

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