Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Japan, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Japanese discount store operator Don Quijote is approaching an agreement to take over 100 per cent of the Uny general merchandise store business, making it the country’s fourth-largest retailer. The firm already controls 40 per cent of the Uny business, and…
Starbucks Taiwan has opened a store made entirely of shipping containers in Hualien Bay Mall. The 29 containers have been stacked as building blocks designed to resemble the uneven foliage of a coffee bush at the yet-to-open mall that will launch as a tourist…
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced the launch of OBS Cloud, an innovative broadcasting solution that operates entirely on the cloud, to help transform the media industry for the digital…
Japanese mobile giant NTT Docomo, through its subsidiary NTT Docomo Ventures, has invested in QD Laser for an undisclosed amount. QD Laser – which was founded in 2006 as an offshoot of Fujitsu Ltd with funding from Mitsui Ventures – develops and manufactures…
Japan’s Softbank has reportedly selected the banks that will serve as lead underwriters for the IPO of its domestic mobile business. The operator has picked banks including Nomura Holdings, Mizuho Financial, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, Goldman Sachs and…
Italian handbag label Furla has posted a 5.8 per cent rise in sales for the first half of the year, down from 23.5 per cent growth during the same period last year. Furla sales growth in Asia has similarly slowed, showing a 27 per cent growth in the…
UNIQLO announced a new collaboration with top New York fashion designer Alexander Wang. The line brings Alexander Wang’s signature design and styling to UNIQLO’s HEATTECH functional apparel – LifeWear that has kept people warm and comfortable in winter since…
Vietjet signed and exchanged an aircraft financing agreement with Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company Limited (MUL) – a member of Japan’s leading finance group Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), and France-based banking group BNP Paribas. The signing…
Now on its 13th year, UTGP 2019 will accept entries via smartphones and tablets to enable as many as possible to take part. The competition’s Grand Prize winner will receive USD $10,000; other winners will also receive cash prizes. All winning designs of the…
Acclaimed for its abstract world view, MARLMARL, with Atsushi Suzuki / TANSEISHA as the designer, is one of the most dynamic brands of original baby clothing in Japan today, and is continuing to expand in both domestic and overseas markets. MARLMARL worked on…
Japanese anti-brand retailer Muji will open a new global concept store in Tokyo’s Ginza district next April. Besides a seven-storey Muji Ginza retail store, the company will open a Muji Hotel, a gallery and community space and a Muji-branded Diner on the…
Hypebeast is the prime destination for young male in their mid-2000s with a vague interest in Japanese denim or limited-colorway Nike Dunks or whatever it was that Pharrell was wearing that month. The fashion blog was among the first to enthusiastically…
Japan’s NTT Docomo has introduced a new prepaid Wi-Fi service for travelers to the nation, offering easy access to its national network of public wireless LAN hotspots. The new functionality is being added to the operator’s Japan Welcome SIM prepaid SIM…
French patisserie Christophe Michalak is about to open its first pastry store in Japan. The Michalak store opens tomorrow in Tokyo’s famous fashion district Omotesando. Michalak Omotesando will sell small desserts, cupcakes and items created to appeal to…
Japan’s Rakuten Mobile Network said it has completed over-the-air 5G trials in the 28-GHz frequency band using equipment provided by Nokia and Intel. The trials were carried out from June in a shielded room at the Nokia Kawasaki Technology Center located in…
Japanese fixed line operator TOKAI Communications has contracted Australia-based Telstra to provide connectivity to help pursue an international expansion. TOKAI Communications has arranged to use the Telstra Programmable Network (TPN) to access Telstra’s…
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