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

Seven Eleven Hopes Better Products Will Boost Popularity

Seven & I Talks America, but Japan Needs Help Too

Lawson Debuts Small Supermarket and Micro Chains

Seven Eleven: Still a Work in Progress as Lawson and Familymart Innovate

The Final ACT Comedy of Errors Opens the Way for Real Value to Emerge at Seven & I

Seven & I Holdings (3382 JP): Dead Money as Couche-Tard Unsurprisingly Walks

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>All convenience stores face the same structural pressures but Lawson and FamilyMart are diverging from the Seven Eleven model that worked for decades. </li>
<li>FamilyMart is leaning into media, fandom, and finance, while Lawson is pairing tech‑driven efficiency with community‑oriented new formats and a rethink of its discount arm.</li>
<li>Seven Eleven is largely sticking with the classic model despite new forms of competition on price.</li>
</ul>


All convenience stores face the same structural pressures but Lawson and FamilyMart are diverging from the Seven Eleven model that worked for decades. 
FamilyMart is leaning into media, fandom, and finance, while Lawson is pairing tech‑driven efficiency with community‑oriented new formats and a rethink of its discount arm.
Seven Eleven is largely sticking with the classic model despite new forms of competition on price.


Lawson and FamilyMart: Now Better than Seven Eleven?