Japan news

FamilyMart Japan has revealed that operating profits fell 59% at around 600 stores. This was part of a trial conducted from October to December to reduce business hours, with stores closed during late-night hours. Mixed results during trial At stores that halted late-night operations every day during the trial, labour costs fell 11% on average YoY, but sales dropped 6.7%. 41% of stores secu...

Japanese drugstore chains Matsumoto KiYoshi and Cocokara Fine are set to merge. New business entity Matsumoto KiYoshi began talks with Kanagawa-based Cocokara Fine on a deal last year. The two businesses are set to merge, creating a new business entity if approved by the boards of both sides. Deal to complete by October 2021 The transaction is expected to be completed by October nex...

7-Eleven has reached another major milestone, surpassing 70,000 stores globally. Customers at the heart Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven Inc.’s President and CEO, said, "Over 93 years we've grown from a small local ice house in Oak Cliff, Texas, to a global and iconic brand that is 70,000 stores strong […] that strength is due to a relentless focus on meeting the needs of our customers. We'll continu...

Global Meets has opened Japan’s first fully dedicated vegan store in Taito City ward in Tokyo. Convenience and foodservice vegan format Like typical convenience stores, Vegan Store stocks a mix of Japanese and imported products. However, these are 100% plant-based and gluten, onion, alcohol and MSG free. Shoppers can find hot food and products like soft serve vegan ice-cream, vegan chees...

Rakuten and Walmart's Seiyu are planning to open a new logistics site in Yokohama, Japan, later this year. New site to service growing online sales The new logistics site will service growing online sales from Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper. The platform recorded a 30% sales increase year-on-year between late October and end of December. High delivery and logistical costs in Japan have historica...

Japan's four largest retailers, Seven & i Holdings, AEON, FamilyMart and Lawson, have posted their results for the nine months ending 30 November 2019. Seven & i Holdings: total sales flat at 0.1% Seven & i recorded a 0.1% increase in total group sales to JPY9,019.3bn (US$82.4bn), with operating profit rising 4.9% to JPY319bn (US2.9m) year-on-year (yoy). Revenue from domestic convenience...

Mobile phone carrier KDDI and Lawson are partnering to integrate their customer loyalty point programs. Enabling au Pay mobile payment in Ponta KDDI, which operates the au Wallet point service, will buy 2.1% stake of Lawson and take a 20% stake in Ponta loyalty point program (currently owned by Lawson, its parent company Mitsubishi Corp. and other firms). From May 2020, KDDI will offer P...

Over the last few days, some 7-Eleven and Lawson convenience stores in Japan temporarily closed. Some stores closed during the New Year Lawson decided to close 102 outlets from December 31 to January 2, while 7-Eleven closed about 50 stores in the Tokyo area at the New Year. While Skylark Holdings, the country’s largest family-restaurant operator, closed about 2,700 outlets from 6 p.m. on N...

Costco’ new financial year saw a continuation of the strong results of the last year. We review its performance and how new ecommerce initiatives and its launch in China have contributed to its growth. Comparable club sales up 5.0% Costco’s Q1 net sales increased 5.6% to $36.2bn, with comparable club sales up 5.0%. Canada led the way with comparable club sales up 5.1%. Comparable ecommerce ...

Last year, Costco Japan announced plans to launch an online store . We are now beginning to see the wholesaler make progress. Costco online shopping coming soon In preparation of launching its online shopping platform, Costco Japan has revamped its corporate website . The wholesaler has introduced a new AI ChatBot system and is advising shoppers to prepare by registering online to creat...