Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Japan, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Toyota Motor Corp on Tuesday said it will set up a joint internal company with subsidiary Daihatsu to develop and market compact vehicles in emerging markets, as Toyota aims to expand market share in other Asian markets. The Japanese automaker plans to…
After the Japanese apparel retailer decided to open its first shop in Canada, Uniqlo Canada COO Yasuhiro Hayashi visited Toronto every month for nearly a year. During each visit he would spend the week taking notes on what people were wearing. “I didn’t…
With a new brand positioning, Korea’s Etude House has been making inroads in the global cosmetics market this year. Previously tagged Princess Fantasy, its new positioning line is Sweet Dream. Its makeover includes more sophisticated visuals in its…
Jimmy Choo Asia sales are soaring, despite the downturn in the luxury market. While the company does not break down its Asian sales figures by market, analysts are reporting “record growth” in Hong Kong and China, in part aided by the opening of a new store…
US Chinese fast-food chain Panda Express, a staple of mall food courts in California, is about to launch in Japan. It will be in the hands of I&P Runway Japan, a joint entity set up last year between Panda Express owner Panda Restaurant Group and Chikara no…
Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) will resume domestic sales of eight vehicle models on Oct. 1, the company said on Friday, after correcting overstated mileage readings in its second cheating scandal this year. Japan’s sixth largest automaker…
Maison Margiela Japan has opened a new boutique in the Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Customers of the fifth-floor store are greeted with marble flooring and walls adorned with lush cotton drapery. In between merchandise displays are silver…
More luxury brands and new-to-market retail concepts are debuting at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands – along with an expanded collection of premium children’s brands at the North Promenade. Gucci Kids, Kenzo Kids, Paul Smith Kids and Stella McCartney Kids…
August shopping data from tax refund specialist, Global Blue, indicates a downward trend in tax-free in-store sales of -13% (year-on-year) – the worst decline since the start of the year and a big fall compared with July’s 0% change. While transactions rose…
The new Shiseido Playlist make-up and skincare brand has been launched for exclusive online sale, with the exception of the cosmetic brand’s Tokyo Ginza store. Playlist is available via Watashi+, the group’s own website and other e-stores. Distinctive for its…
After rapidly building a network of stores across Asia, Japanese eyewear retailer Owndays has made its European debut. Owndays Europe has opened its first store in the Netherlands, the design largely true to its Asian format and its simple pricing model…
The world’s only Michelin-starred ramen restaurant Tsuta is to open in Singapore in October. The Japanese eatery has been signed up by Pacific Plaza on Scotts Rd and will mark the restaurant’s first location outside its home market. Earning a coveted Michelin…
Special lighting helps create atmosphere in the new store opened in the upmarket Aoyama neighbourhood of Tokyo by Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana Japan. Gwenael Nicolas of Curiosity came up with the retail design concept with the brief being to…
BMW Group said today it is recalling about 110,000 cars in Japan over potentially faulty airbag inflators made by Takata Corp., as part of the auto industry’s largest ever global call back. The automaker recalled 44 models including its 1-series 116i and 118i…
Nissan Motor Co.’s flagship showroom has returned to Japan’s most exclusive, priciest address — Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district, flush with department stores and geisha clubs. A sleek new two-story showroom sits at the shopping district’s main neon-soaked…
Bangkok is the top-ranked destination city by international overnight visitor arrivals, according to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index. Ranking 132 cities, the index projects visitor volume and spend estimates while delivering insights…
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