Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Japan, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Laser clinic and skincare product retailer Skin Laundry plans to expand into Japan and Korea this year from its Hong Kong base. Skin Laundry has just opened its fourth outlet in Hong Kong – at Causeway Bay. And founder Yen Reis said that at least two more…
Starbucks Coffee Japan is aiming to blend in with its first cafe in Uji, Kyoto, giving it a local tea culture theme. The branch of the US coffee chain will be opened by the front gate of Byodoin temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on March 31. It will…
Sales at Japanese convenience stores rose 0.1 per cent in January from a year earlier, up for the fourth consecutive month. Industry data shows there were brisk sales of hot food and side dishes. Same-store sales for eight major chains totalled ¥753.16…
Ikea Japan will make a full-fledged entry into internet sales, offering nearly all store items through a dedicated website to launch in late April. Plans call for selling 9000-odd products, excluding food and plants. They will initially be shipped from the…
London-based consultancy JHP Design has created a fast-dining experience for Asian fast-food restaurant group Lotteria. The new concept, called the Lotteria Burger Laboratory, features an open kitchen combined with a made-to-order system, so customers can…
Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best is looking at opportunities in the Philippines and broader Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia. Do-Best CEO Daitaro Sugawara was in the Philippines for a group networking session organised by Security Bank and Japan’s…
Japanese tech company Liquid has launched a biometric payments service in Indonesia that operates at the point of sale. Currently the project is being tested at an enterprise level, with the service offered to the Salim group’s workforce of around 500,000.…
Yahoo Japan has selected Infinera Cloud Xpress to interconnect its data centers in Osaka. The Cloud Xpress enables Yahoo Japan to interconnect data centers with hyper-scale density, operational simplicity and low power consumption. Working closely with…
Tokyo’s Ginza district is gearing up for the opening of its biggest shopping centre, Ginza Six mall. It occupies the site of the former Matsuzakaya Ginza department store, which closed in June 2013. Ginza Six mall has a total floor area of about 150,000 sqm…
Cult Japanese performance sandal brand Suicoke has entered the Canadian market. Its styles are being made available through its first-ever eCommerce website, Suicoke.ca, as well as in luxury Canadian retailers including Gravity Pope, Haven Shop, Holt Renfrew,…
Japanese food company Ajinomoto has signed an agreement to become a top sponsor for the 29th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and the 9th ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur this year. Ajinomoto Co., the parent company of Ajinomoto Vietnam, will provide support…
Japanese casual apparel retailer Uniqlo Spain will open its first store in Barcelona this northern autumn. The move takes it into the home market of archrival Inditex, parent of the Zara brand, among others. On the Paseo de Gracia shopping streets, the store…
Ookbee Mall Thailand will close its eCommerce business Ookbeemall.com next month, citing heavy competition. Launched in November 2015 with an initial investment of 150 million baht (US$4.2 million), Ookbee Mall is a JV between Japanese eCommerce investor…
The companies are looking for bigger profits in nearby countries such as Thailand. Japanese automakers may be shifting their production away from Vietnam in the near future due to its poor supporting industries. Vietnam’s supporting industries have stood…
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is expanding its Rakuten Pay in-store payment system to support 14 major digital money brands and Android Pay. Rakuten Pay provides affiliated stores with a single payments service that supports a variety of payment methods,…
Bank of Ayudhya, commonly known as Krungsri, is reinforcing its commercial banking after seeing a return by Japanese companies considering investment in the Kingdom in light of the government’s “Thailand 4.0” industrial goals. Pornsanong Tuchinda, head of…
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