Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Japan, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Hedgehogs in dollhouses are central to the new first-for-Japan concept ChikuChiku Cafe, which translates as “prickly cafe”. Set up in Shibuya by the Shiikugakari company, ChikuChiku (also known as the Hedgehog Home and Cafe) allows patrons to feed, touch and…
Startled by enthusiastic consumer demand for ePower in Japan last year, Nissan Motor Co. now plans to introduce the electric motor-powered technology to its vehicles in the U.S. But unlike its Japanese application in the humble subcompact Note, Nissan will…
Japan’s Fast Retailing plans to launch its Uniqlo clothing brand in Sweden with an initial store in Stockholm this year. Taking on its rival H&M in its home market, it marks the cut-price brand’s debut in the Nordic region. Uniqlo has fewer than 70 stores in…
New Zealand-themed restaurant Wakanui Grill Dining has opened its third international outlet – an 86-seat restaurant in a glass capsule on the fourth level of Marina One. Singapore is the second territory for Wakanui following the concept’s launch in Tokyo by…
Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. plans to transform its upscale Infiniti brand of vehicles into a primarily electrified offering, Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa said on Tuesday. All new Infiniti models launched from 2021 will be either electric or so-called…
Funds that are oriented towards artificial intelligence (AI) and big data are attracting Japanese investors, according to the latest data compiled by QUICK Asset Management Research Center. This happens as popular monthly-distribution trusts are registering a…
Korean coffee chain Caffe Bene has collapsed, filing for a court-led restructuring scheme on Friday. Yonhap news service reports the court will soon decide whether to put the ailing coffee chain under its receivership or commence liquidation. The legal move…
Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing has reported a record first quarter profit as international sales eclipsed its domestic revenue for the first time. While Fast Retailing sales in Japan rose 8 per cent to 257 billion yen (US$2.31 billion) for the first quarter…
Asia Pacific has continued double-digit growth for heritage brand owner Richemont for its third quarter to the end of December. Total sales in the quarter increased by 7 per cent at constant exchange rates and by 1 per cent at actual rates over the same…
Alabama will be the site of a new $1.6 billion Toyota Motor Corp and Mazda Motor Corp auto plant, a victory for President Donald Trump who had prodded manufacturers to build new U.S. facilities and threatened tariffs on foreign production, sources said on…
Japanese baby products retailer Ficelle has launched its first outlet in Thailand. In partnership with distributor K-AG Kin All Gen, it has opened a store in Bangkok’s Central Embassy shopping mall. This follows a six-month trial of online sales in Thailand…
Wood-lined bedrooms, a minimal diner, a library and a shop feature in the Muji Hotel in Shenzhen, which opens next week. In the Futian district, it is the first hospitality project initiated by the Japanese retailer, known for its minimalist homeware…
Move over AKB48, Japan has a new all-girl “idol” band – the Virtual Currency Girls – on a mission to educate the public about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Each of the eight girls in the band, known in Japanese as “Kasotsuka Shojo”, plays a character…
China and Japan continue to grow as key markets for Swiss watches, reports the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. China had its strongest growth for 30 months at 39.8 per cent, while Japan, up 22.5 per cent, showed strong growth for the second month in…
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors on Tuesday flagged only modest sales growth in 2018, suggesting a slow recovery from a slump linked to their lack of SUVs in the United States and diplomatic tensions with China. Hyundai and smaller affiliate Kia,…
Strong earnings in China and Southeast Asia have helped boost operating profit for Japanese developer Aeon Mall to about ¥33 billion (US$293 million) for the nine months to the end of November. This is up about 10 per cent on the same period a year earlier,…
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