Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Michael is co-founder and partner at 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 and seminars on retail sectors and consumer trends, as well as telephone consulting/meetings with investors. 

All of JapanConsuming's team are bilingual and bi-cultural, and the company's research sources are:

Direct meetings with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, trade body staff, govt., marketing firms, academics etc.
Govt. data
Trade association data
Trade Press across all consumer sectors
Unique Network of buyers/managers/marketing staff at retail, as well as wholesalers and trading firms.
Editors/Journalists at publishing houses and PR/Ad firms.


JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Michael Causton set up and ran a consumer distribution business in Tokyo for 10 years and developed this into a business responsible for annual imports to Japan of several billion Yen, at the same time building up an inside knowledge of how Japanese distribution works and developing a network of contacts across the industry. Seeing the lack of quality market intelligence on Japanese markets, he co-founded JapanConsuming in 2000. He divides his time between Japan and Europe/US consulting for companies, governments and investors, including providing talks, seminars, and webinars as well as writing reports and books.

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Growth in the Declining Japanese Department Store Sector: Some Stores and Chains Show the Way

Japan's Department Stores: The Most to Lose but Also the Hardest Hit

Hell Will Freeze over And (Some) Japanese Department Stores Will Increase OPM

Japan Shopping Centres 2018-19: Sales Rise Again but Fewer New Malls

Japanese Department Stores 2018-19: Taking New Risks Creates Opportunity

J Front Accelerates Diversification Plan with Parco Share Purchase

J Front Retailing to Buy Out PARCO (8251)

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

Kintetsu Department Store / Equity Bottom-Up

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kintetsu-dept-store-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9040:1" rel="noopener">Kintetsu Dept Store (8244 JP)</a> runs the fifth largest chain in the department store sector and the largest with no presence in Tokyo.Last year, its HQ store in Abeno outperformed all stores in the top 30, and primarily because it is now run as a shopping centre in a hybrid model.Kintetsu is now applying the same model throughout its chain and should see further growth in operating margins.Department stores have little support from investors and it is likely that this year will be a poor one given lacklustre spending following the Consumption Tax increase and the fall off in inbound tourism but, over the long-term some of these firms have excellent locations and improving merchandising and just need to improve operations and cut overhead to see a significant spike in OPM.Kintetsu is one of these.

Kintetsu Dept Store (8244 JP) runs the fifth largest chain in the department store sector and the largest with no presence in Tokyo.Last year, its HQ store in Abeno outperformed all stores in the top 30, and primarily because it is now run as a shopping centre in a hybrid model.Kintetsu is now applying the same model throughout its chain and should see further growth in operating margins.Department stores have little support from investors and it is likely that this year will be a poor one given lacklustre spending following the Consumption Tax increase and the fall off in inbound tourism but, over the long-term some of these firms have excellent locations and improving merchandising and just need to improve operations and cut overhead to see a significant spike in OPM.Kintetsu is one of these.

Kintetsu: Hybrid Stores Replace Department Stores as Profits Lift