Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Japan, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Tokyo restaurant brand Kikanbo is to open its first Hong Kong restaurant in Causeway Bay, its third international market. From today, Hong Kong customers can enjoy a taste of the restaurant known as Tokyo’s “perennial long queue store”, and which sells 27,000…
Casual-clothing chain Uniqlo says its sales have been affected as the consumer boycott of Japanese goods intensifies in South Korea. Uniqlo, owned by Fast Retailing, will close a downtown Seoul store soon, but says this is due to a decision not to renew a…
As a South Korean consumer boycott of Japanese goods gains momentum, consumers are starting to share information on new and upcoming Japanese retailers coming to the country. The intention, reports Korea Bizwire, is to include the retail brands on the boycott…
Upmarket Japanese coffee businesses are expanding into other Asian markets in an attempt to win over customers from global leaders such as Starbucks. Specialty brands Sarutahiko Coffee and Hoshino Coffee are among those reaching into major Asian markets, with…
Sales of Japanese-branded autos in South Korea slumped in July amid a worsening diplomatic row between the two countries that has led to consumer boycotts and efforts by Seoul to cut the economy’s reliance on imports from Japan. Industry data out of South…
Dubai Japanese restaurant chain Sumo Sushi & Bento is entering the Indian market. The firm has partnered with local operator FranGlobal to open up to 25 outlets within five years, with the first location launching in either Delhi or Mumbai within six months.…
FamilyMart Japan says almost half of its franchisees want to drop its signature 24-hour trading hours. The firm conducted a recent survey among its around 14,000 franchises in Japan, of which 48.3 percent said they want to operate shorter hours, citing the…
Singtel launches its cross-border mobile payment capabilities in Japan, joining a handful of sectors outside of finance making a run at market share in the payments business. Singtel’s VIA, cross-border mobile payment alliance in Asia, debuts first in Tokyo’s…
Citi hires J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s former Americas head of trading to run its Asia Pacific execution business. Curt Engler has been named as Citi’s Asia Pacific (APAC) Head of Execution Services. A key focus under his leadership will be to ensure…
Budget Japanese retailer Daiso will launch its first New Jersey store in Edgewater. The store will open on August 3 as the second Daiso store in the Tri-State area. Daiso is quickly expanding its presence on the East Coast, with this location opening within…
Australia-based Fusion Group has taken a majority stake in the Tokyo and Hong Kong based brand and communications Agency, Eat Creative. The Tokyo-based agency will become part of the Fusion group expanding its capabilities and reach across the APAC region.…
A boycott campaign against Japanese products and services is becoming a nationwide movement and extending into travel. The boycott started after Japan imposed trade restrictions against South Korea. Amid the boycott, a series of statistics show that the…
The world’s first flagship store dedicated to the Homme Plisse Issey Miyake label has opened in the Tokyo suburb of Aoyama. The 225sqm space was designed by Tokujin Yoshioka in a distinctly minimalist Japanese style heavily dominated by bare concrete. Space…
Japanese discount retailer Daiso will launch its Threeppy store at Funan mall on Sunday. Japanese discount retailer Daiso will launch its Threeppy retail store at Funan mall on Sunday (July 14). Known as the ‘premium’ version of Daiso, the first Threeppy…
Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing’s healthy online sales and strong performance in overseas markets, particularly in China, have helped boost its third quarter results. The Japanese retailer said its online sales saw a 16.1 per cent year-on-year increase in the…
Japan’s Emma dessert has opened its first overseas outlet, at Singapore’s Plaza Singapura. Located on basement level 2 of the shopping mall, the outlet offers two exclusive products to Singapore – the Boba Taco Softie, and Charcoal Cheese-flavoured Soft Serve…
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