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. 

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

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.

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.

The Polarising Pandemic in Japanese Retail

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trial-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:36821:1" rel="noopener">Trial Holdings (5882 JP)</a> (TH) is now looking to raise around US$234m in its Japan IPO, after having canceled its prior listing attempt last year.</li>
<li>TH operates a network of retail stores that offer one-stop shopping under its everyday low price model, across a variety of daily necessities, food items and other products.</li>
<li>We have looked at the past performance in our previous notes. In this note, we talk about the updates from its recent filings.</li>
</ul>



Trial Holdings (5882 JP) (TH) is now looking to raise around US$234m in its Japan IPO, after having canceled its prior listing attempt last year.
TH operates a network of retail stores that offer one-stop shopping under its everyday low price model, across a variety of daily necessities, food items and other products.
We have looked at the past performance in our previous notes. In this note, we talk about the updates from its recent filings.


Trial Holdings Pre-IPO - Refiling Updates - Margin Uptick, More Golf Courses

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trial-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:36821:1" rel="noopener">Trial Holdings (5882 JP)</a> is looking to raise around US$375m in its Japan IPO.</li>
<li>TH operates a network of retail stores that offer one-stop shopping under its everyday low price model, across a variety of daily necessities, food items and other products.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about earnings forecast and provide our thoughts on valuation.</li>
</ul>



Trial Holdings (5882 JP) is looking to raise around US$375m in its Japan IPO.
TH operates a network of retail stores that offer one-stop shopping under its everyday low price model, across a variety of daily necessities, food items and other products.
In this note, we talk about earnings forecast and provide our thoughts on valuation.


Trial Holdings Pre-IPO -Thoughts on Valuation

Equity Bottom-Up

<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>


Aeon just announced record revenues of more than ¥9 trillion for FY2022. 
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.
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.


<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trial-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:36821:1" rel="noopener">Trial Holdings (5882 JP)</a> is looking to raise up to US$393m in its Japan IPO.</li>
<li>TH operates a network of retail stores that offer one-stop shopping under its everyday low price model, across a variety of daily necessities, food items and other products.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about implied valuations in the IPO price range</li>
</ul>



Trial Holdings (5882 JP) is looking to raise up to US$393m in its Japan IPO.
TH operates a network of retail stores that offer one-stop shopping under its everyday low price model, across a variety of daily necessities, food items and other products.
In this note, we talk about implied valuations in the IPO price range


Trial Holdings IPO - Sector Lagging Margins Warrant a Discount

Japan

Aeon Hokkaido Corporation operates general merchandise stores called "My Basket"  based in Hokkaido.  The Company is a subsidiary of Aeon Group.

Aeon Hokkaido (7512 JP)

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

Trial Holdings Pre-IPO - Refiling Updates - Margin Uptick, More Golf Courses

Trial Holdings (5882 JP) (TH) is now looking to raise around US$234m in its Japan IPO, after having canceled its prior listing attempt last year.

Sumeet Singh

Trial Holdings Pre-IPO -Thoughts on Valuation

After having cancelled its listing plans last year, the company is now looking to launch a smaller IPO of around US$250m, as per media reports.

Sumeet Singh

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

Trial Holdings IPO - Sector Lagging Margins Warrant a Discount

Trial Holdings (5882 JP) is looking to raise up to US$393m in its Japan IPO. In this note, we talk about implied valuations.

Sumeet Singh