Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Japan, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Bubble tea brand Gong Cha Korea is planning international expansion. Aided by the global passion for Hallyu, or the so-called Korean Wave, Gong Cha plans to open stores in the Middle East and Europe. It will also buy more than 1380 stores in 18 countries,…
Toyota Motor, Komeda and KDDI in September have jointly developed a smartphone application called Driving Barista, aimed at reducing the number of traffic accidents in Aichi Prefecture caused by drivers using their smartphones while driving. This is the first…
Korean cafe chain Mangosix has opened its first branch in Japan, in Don Quijote Miyakojima store in Nishisato, Hirara, in Okinawa. With mango juice as its main product, Mangosix opened its first store in 2011 and now has about 230 outlets in Asia, Europe and…
Japanese eCommerce company Rakuten Inc has launched a beauty-subscription service, Raxy. Registrations are already being accepted for the service, which offers options for three, six or 12 months. Each month, subscribers will receive boxes of assorted…
JCB International Co., Ltd. (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd. announced that Bank Saint Petersburg (BSPB), the leading bank in North-West Russia, started accepting JCB cards at POS terminals and ATMs. The bank network includes…
Equinix has completed the second phase expansion of its 10th International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Tokyo, the TY5. Phase two adds an additional 375 cabinets to the facility, bringing the total capacity of the data center to 725 cabinets. The…
Japanese cosmetics group Shiseido is aiming to become one of the world’s top five perfume makers in five years, up from its current seventh spot. New acquisitions will help Shiseido perfume market share grow – along with a step-up in marketing, especially…
Tokyo-based craft products retailer DigitalStudio has launched Discovery Japan Mall, a cross-border eCommerce venture. Specialising in Japanese brands, the mall’s initial catalogue includes mainly toys, fishing gear, cosmetics, food, watches and fashion.…
The world’s largest carmaker, Toyota Motor, is finally getting ready to enter the Indian small-car market and challenge the dominance of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor in their bread-and-butter segment. The Japanese automaker and its unit specialising in…
Indonesias state-owned energy company, PT Pertamina, has hailed a senior minister for proposing to invite Japan to participate in the East Natuna Block gas project in the province of Riau Islands. Pertamina, ExxonMobil and PTT Thailand have formed a…
TravelersBox kiosks are being launched in Asian airports allowing travellers to deposit their leftover foreign coins into their preferred online accounts. More than 40 are expected to be service by the end of the year. TravelersBox is the first service…
Japanese duty-free retailer Laox has opened its eighth store in Dragon Gate Building, Osaka. Called “Laox Osaka Dotonbori Ebisubashi Store”, the exterior of the first floor and second floor is covered with glass, making this a street-level store with a…
Indonesia has officially offered Japan the opportunity to take part in the semi high-speed rail construction project connecting Jakarta to Surabaya in East Java, a senior minister said. Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan delivered…
Japanese retail holding company Fast Retailing intends to have 1000 shops for its low-cost GU brand overseas in 10 years, up from about 10 foreign stores now. GU sells clothing often priced at about half that of stablemate Uniqlo. Fast Retailing will expand…
With marble shoe walls and shining white centre tables, Asics Tiger Japan has opened a store in the Shinsaibashi shopping district of Osaka. Street elements of the store design include mortar walls and guard rails, with a yellow accent line on the ceiling. A…
Japanese electronics components supplier Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd wants its enlarged battery business to help double automotive-related revenue when the years of rapid expansion in the smartphone market have passed, its chief executive said. Murata is…
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