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. 

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>The Matsumotokiyoshi and Cocokara Fine merger is now complete following almost two years of dealing, planning and company bonding.</li>
<li>The combined business creates the single biggest drugstore group in Japan, although the Tokyo-based partners have lost ground in the past year while others have grown strongly.</li>
<li>As a result, the lead is smaller than they previously expected – and will likely get smaller still. The good news is that profits should soar.</li>
</ul>


The Matsumotokiyoshi and Cocokara Fine merger is now complete following almost two years of dealing, planning and company bonding.
The combined business creates the single biggest drugstore group in Japan, although the Tokyo-based partners have lost ground in the past year while others have grown strongly.
As a result, the lead is smaller than they previously expected – and will likely get smaller still. The good news is that profits should soar.


Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

Last Week in Event SPACE: ARA Logos/ESR-REIT, Z Energy, Ausnutria, MatsukiyoCocokara

Travis Lundy

<p>Nearly 21 months after starting talks to merge when a rival had made a bid for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cocokara-fine-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15447:1" rel="noopener">Cocokara Fine (3098 JP)</a>, Cocokara and Matsumoto Kiyoshi Holdings (3088 JP) <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/matsumotokiyoshi-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2259:1" rel="noopener"></a>announced a merger in February 2021 which undervalued Cocokara, to the chagrin of my earlier ratio guesstimates and activist investors disappointed with how cheaply Matsumoto Kiyoshi acquired control. </p><p>I discussed the merger in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/matsukiyococokara-co-the-merger" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:48652" rel="noopener">MatsukiyoCocokara &amp; Co - The Merger</a> and then <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/matsukiyococokara-merger-and-implied-forward-forecasts" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:48679" rel="noopener">MatsuKiyoCocokara Merger and Implied Forward Forecasts</a> then the activist noise in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/matsukiyo-cocokara-situation-gets-its-activist-noise-started" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:49024" rel="noopener">Matsukiyo-Cocokara Situation Gets Its Activist Noise Started</a>. The activist noise - as expected in this case - came to nothing, but the shares gained, lost ground, and have since regained some ground as the merger date came closer. The two companies merged and became <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/matsumotokiyoshi-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2259:1" rel="noopener">Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd. (3088 JP)</a>.</p><p>I was, at the time, quite bullish on the prospects for the combined entity. And there were interesting events to come, associated with the deal. The stock has done well-ish.</p><section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/234/853/original/Screenshot+2021-10-13+at+6.07.19+PM.png?1634119663" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="234853"></figure></section><p>I think that is not the end of the story. There is more to come.</p><p>More below the fold. </p>

Nearly 21 months after starting talks to merge when a rival had made a bid for Cocokara Fine (3098 JP), Cocokara and Matsumoto Kiyoshi Holdings (3088 JP) announced a merger in February 2021 which undervalued Cocokara, to the chagrin of my earlier ratio guesstimates and activist investors disappointed with how cheaply Matsumoto Kiyoshi acquired control. I discussed the merger in MatsukiyoCocokara &amp; Co - The Merger and then MatsuKiyoCocokara Merger and Implied Forward Forecasts then the activist noise in Matsukiyo-Cocokara Situation Gets Its Activist Noise Started. The activist noise - as expected in this case - came to nothing, but the shares gained, lost ground, and have since regained some ground as the merger date came closer. The two companies merged and became Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd. (3088 JP).I was, at the time, quite bullish on the prospects for the combined entity. And there were interesting events to come, associated with the deal. The stock has done well-ish.I think that is not the end of the story. There is more to come.More below the fold. 

MatsuKiyoCocokara Merged - Interesting Implications Indeed

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<p><em><strong>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.</strong></em></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p>

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

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Quantitative Analysis

<div><p>The Asia Short Interest weekly looks at moves in market wide short interest and highlights movements in stock specific short interest across Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan using the last available data published by the relevant authorities.</p></div><div><p>Hong Kong saw shorts rise on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/beijing-kuaishou-technology-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29725:1" rel="noopener">Kuaishou Technology (1024 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-oriental-education-technology-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32210:1" rel="noopener">New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-health-information-technology-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:453:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Health Information Technology (241 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ping-an-healthcare-and-technology-company-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27008:1" rel="noopener">Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited (1833 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fuyao-glass-industry-group-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:330:1" rel="noopener">Fuyao Glass Industry Group (3606 HK)</a> while there was short covering on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (9988 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/wuxi-apptec" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23679:1" rel="noopener">Wuxi Biologics (2269 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/galaxy-entertainment-group-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:806:1" rel="noopener">Galaxy Entertainment Group (27 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/great-wall-motor-co-ltd-cb302af9-398c-4d2d-ba39-023e43287eef" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:128:1" rel="noopener">Great Wall Motor (2333 HK)</a>. Shorts decreased in the Consumer Discretionary, Information Technology, Real Estate, Materials, Indsutrials and Financials sectors.</p></div><div><p>In Japan, stocks increased on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/takeda-pharmaceutical-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11747:1" rel="noopener">Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mizuho-financial-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:219:1" rel="noopener">Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kirin-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16977:1" rel="noopener">Kirin Holdings (2503 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kddi-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:639:1" rel="noopener">KDDI Corp (9433 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nippon-steel-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:961:1" rel="noopener">Nippon Steel Corporation (5401 JP)</a> while there was short covering on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sharp-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:391:1" rel="noopener">Sharp Corp (6753 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pigeon-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3294:1" rel="noopener">Pigeon Corp (7956 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/matsumotokiyoshi-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2259:1" rel="noopener">Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd. (3088 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shionogi-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19535:1" rel="noopener">Shionogi &amp; Co (4507 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kawasaki-heavy-industries" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8790:1" rel="noopener">Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JP)</a>. Shorts increased in the Health Care, Financials, Materials and Communication Services sectors while decreasing in the Consumer Discretionary and Real Estate sectors.</p></div><div><p>In Korea, shorts increased on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lg-household-health-care" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6501:1" rel="noopener">LG Household &amp; Health Care (051900 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hyundai-motor-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:155:1" rel="noopener">Hyundai Motor Co (005380 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hmm-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13494:1" rel="noopener">HMM Co., Ltd. (011200 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hyundai-heavy-industries" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10155:1" rel="noopener">Hyundai Heavy Industries (009540 KS)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> while shorts were covered on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/samsung-electronics-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:191:1" rel="noopener">Samsung Electronics (005930 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lg-electronics-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8814:1" rel="noopener">LG Electronics (066570 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/oci-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1904:1" rel="noopener">Oci Co Ltd (010060 KS)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/naver-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16029:1" rel="noopener">Naver Corp (035420 KS)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-hynix-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16955:1" rel="noopener">SK Hynix (000660 KS)</a>. </p></div><div><p>In Taiwan, shorts increased on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/novatek-microelectronics-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10904:1" rel="noopener">Novatek Microelectronics Corp (3034 TT)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mediatek-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:772:1" rel="noopener">Mediatek Inc (2454 TT)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/asustek-computer-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13002:1" rel="noopener">Asustek Computer (2357 TT)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/quanta-computer-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2754:1" rel="noopener">Quanta Computer (2382 TT)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fitipower-integrated-technology-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8712:1" rel="noopener">Fitipower Integrated Technology (4961 TT)</a> while shorts covered on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yageo-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13212:1" rel="noopener">Yageo Corporation (2327 TT)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/asia-cement-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15350:1" rel="noopener">Asia Cement (1102 TT)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elite-semiconductor-memory-technology" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9373:1" rel="noopener">Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology (3006 TT)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yang-ming-marine-transport" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8502:1" rel="noopener">Yang Ming Marine Transport (2609 TT)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ta-chen-stainless-pipe-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2519:1" rel="noopener">TA Chen Stainless Pipe (2027 TT)</a>.</p></div>

The Asia Short Interest weekly looks at moves in market wide short interest and highlights movements in stock specific short interest across Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan using the last available data published by the relevant authorities.Hong Kong saw shorts rise on Kuaishou Technology (1024 HK), New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK), Alibaba Health Information Technology (241 HK), Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited (1833 HK) and Fuyao Glass Industry Group (3606 HK) while there was short covering on Alibaba Group (9988 HK), Tencent (700 HK), Wuxi Biologics (2269 HK), Galaxy Entertainment Group (27 HK) and Great Wall Motor (2333 HK). Shorts decreased in the Consumer Discretionary, Information Technology, Real Estate, Materials, Indsutrials and Financials sectors.In Japan, stocks increased on Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502 JP), Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP), Kirin Holdings (2503 JP), KDDI Corp (9433 JP) and Nippon Steel Corporation (5401 JP) while there was short covering on Sharp Corp (6753 JP), Pigeon Corp (7956 JP), Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd. (3088 JP), Shionogi &amp; Co (4507 JP) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JP). Shorts increased in the Health Care, Financials, Materials and Communication Services sectors while decreasing in the Consumer Discretionary and Real Estate sectors.In Korea, shorts increased on LG Household &amp; Health Care (051900 KS), Hyundai Motor Co (005380 KS), HMM Co., Ltd. (011200 KS), Hyundai Heavy Industries (009540 KS) and SK Telecom (017670 KS) while shorts were covered on Samsung Electronics (005930 KS), LG Electronics (066570 KS), Oci Co Ltd (010060 KS), Naver Corp (035420 KS) and SK Hynix (000660 KS). In Taiwan, shorts increased on Novatek Microelectronics Corp (3034 TT), Mediatek Inc (2454 TT), Asustek Computer (2357 TT), Quanta Computer (2382 TT) and Fitipower Integrated Technology (4961 TT) while shorts covered on Yageo Corporation (2327 TT), Asia Cement (1102 TT), Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology (3006 TT), Yang Ming Marine Transport (2609 TT) and TA Chen Stainless Pipe (2027 TT).

Asia Shorts: Kuaishou, EDU, Fuyao, Galaxy, KDDI, Sharp, HMC, HMM, SK Tel, Naver, Novatek, Yageo

Japan

MatsukiyoCocokara & Co. operates drug store chains. The Company retails medicines, cosmetics, health foods, beauty care products, and other products. MatsukiyoCocokara & also operates supermarkets and home centers.

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MatsukiyoCocokara (3088 JP)

Matsukiyo Cocokara: Together at Last

MatsukiyoCocokara may top the drugstore ranking post-merger but Welcia and Tsuruha have grown much faster and may take the lead again soon given...

Michael Causton

Last Week in Event SPACE: ARA Logos/ESR-REIT, Z Energy, Ausnutria, MatsukiyoCocokara

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a coffee, grab a comfortable seat, and sift through a brief summary of insights on various events discussed...

David Blennerhassett

MatsuKiyoCocokara Merged - Interesting Implications Indeed

MatsuKiyo and Cocokara have merged and NEWCO MatsuKiyoCocokara is now a lowish Real World Float stock which is about to see that float squeezed...

Travis Lundy

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

Asia Shorts: Kuaishou, EDU, Fuyao, Galaxy, KDDI, Sharp, HMC, HMM, SK Tel, Naver, Novatek, Yageo

The Insight looks at large short interest movements across HK, Japan, Korea and Taiwan stocks and highlights large increases/decreases in shorts to...

Brian Freitas

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