Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/askul-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16807:1" rel="noopener">Askul Corp (2678 JP)</a> today announced a 4.9% buyback, likely via ToSTNeT-3, designed to lower the holding of parent <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/z-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19603:1" rel="noopener">Z Holdings (4689 JP)</a>, to meet TSE Prime Tradable Share criteria.</li>
<li>While 5.1% earnings accretive, it will not be enough, and the structure suggests despite significant excess cash, the next tranche won't come immediately.</li>
<li>There is short-term strategy, and there is longer-term positioning. Both may work in this case.</li>
</ul>



Askul Corp (2678 JP) today announced a 4.9% buyback, likely via ToSTNeT-3, designed to lower the holding of parent Z Holdings (4689 JP), to meet TSE Prime Tradable Share criteria.
While 5.1% earnings accretive, it will not be enough, and the structure suggests despite significant excess cash, the next tranche won't come immediately.
There is short-term strategy, and there is longer-term positioning. Both may work in this case.


ASKUL (2678) - Large, Accretive, Not Enough for Prime So Look For More

<ul>
<li>The January 2022 FFW rebalance is not very large - about US$225mm a side. </li>
<li>30% of the interest is in two names - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/net-protections-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:35162:1" rel="noopener">Net Protections (7383 JP)</a> as an add because of its recent IPO and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/oracle-corp-japan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16787:1" rel="noopener">Oracle Corp Japan (4716 JP)</a> as a sell.</li>
<li>This event may get overshadowed by the TSE Market Structure revamp announced the same day.</li>
</ul>


The January 2022 FFW rebalance is not very large - about US$225mm a side. 
30% of the interest is in two names - Net Protections (7383 JP) as an add because of its recent IPO and Oracle Corp Japan (4716 JP) as a sell.
This event may get overshadowed by the TSE Market Structure revamp announced the same day.


TOPIX January 2022 FFW Rebalance - Much Nothing To Do

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)

There were some fears that e-commerce growth would stall following massive consumer adoption after March 2020 but for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/rakuten-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31:1" rel="noopener">Rakuten Inc (4755 JP)</a> at least, repeat customers have helped sustain momentum. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/z-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19603:1" rel="noopener">Z Holdings (4689 JP)</a> had a trickier start to the year, however. Last year, excluding the big convenience stores, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/amazon-com-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:409:1" rel="noopener">Amazon.com Inc (AMZN US)</a> overtook Fast Retailing to become Japan’s third largest retailer and one of just four with sales over ¥2 trillion and  accounted for 3.2% of all retail sales in Nikkei’s survey of 488 companies.Despite early, pessimistic forecasts for e-commerce in 2020, METI’s latest annual survey released in July shows that BtoC e-commerce surged 21.7% to ¥12.23 trillion.

There were some fears that e-commerce growth would stall following massive consumer adoption after March 2020 but for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) at least, repeat customers have helped sustain momentum. Z Holdings (4689 JP) had a trickier start to the year, however. Last year, excluding the big convenience stores, Amazon.com Inc (AMZN US) overtook Fast Retailing to become Japan’s third largest retailer and one of just four with sales over ¥2 trillion and  accounted for 3.2% of all retail sales in Nikkei’s survey of 488 companies.Despite early, pessimistic forecasts for e-commerce in 2020, METI’s latest annual survey released in July shows that BtoC e-commerce surged 21.7% to ¥12.23 trillion.

Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

Equity Bottom-Up

Askul posted a mixed quarter as revenue growth slowed but margin improvements continued apace. FY22 is largely a rebuilding year as the company more tightly integrates B2C and logistics into the Z Holdings ecosystem and Q1 performance gives them a solid start in meeting full-year guidance. We do not cover Askul but we follow it as part of our Z Holdings coverage.

Askul posted a mixed quarter as revenue growth slowed but margin improvements continued apace. FY22 is largely a rebuilding year as the company more tightly integrates B2C and logistics into the Z Holdings ecosystem and Q1 performance gives them a solid start in meeting full-year guidance. We do not cover Askul but we follow it as part of our Z Holdings coverage.   

Askul Corp Q1 22 Results Reaction: Slowing Revenue Growth but Profit Beat

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

Japan

ASKUL Corporation sells office equipment products to medium and small sized business offices via the Internet and facsimiles.  The Company provides next day delivery services throughout Japan.

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Askul Corp (2678 JP)

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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

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