Steely grip, control and rubber. Unlocking the secrets of snow tyre marketing; Blizzaks in pole position
17% of all tyres sold in Japan are for snow. It’s a marketing gold mine.
Market entry
Food companies leave FHA on full stomachs as the industry rebounds from Covid
I spent 2 full days at Food and Hotel Asia Singapore this week (FHA) and it was packed full of exhibitors and visitors alike. There were over 2000 companies present, mostly packaged food, beverage and agricultural firms plus a fair number of packaging equipment and a cluster of wine and spirits companies. The majority were …
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Piping hot Japanese pâtisserie market has momentum! Time for investors to savour the taste
Life is what you bake it, runs the adage. There is a dietary shift in Japan. Historically rice was the main staple, but its per capita consumption is declining year on year. There are more single person households; preparing rice is a hassle especially if you a busy 20 year-something. Rice consumption is also dropping …
Gervais’s ‘The Office’ eyes Saudi Arabian expansion
A Saudi version of hit comedy show The Office is reportedly in the works. I tend to blog about consumer goods businesses but this example of a creative product expanding internationally caught my eye. It is also an interesting case study in adapting a winning formula to diverse cultures. Branded El Maktab, the Saudi version …
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The Japanese love sport! Learn how your brand can succeed tomorrow in this $11 billion market!
The EU-Japan centre kindly asked me and my colleague Hiro Tsujioka to write a report on Japan’s sport equipment market. They have recently published it on their website. We’re also giving a webinar on this topic on the 28th June 2022. To access the report and webinar you’ll need to register with the Eu-Japan centre. …
Reckitt decides that infant formula isn’t digestible. Mead Johnson on the block; PE circles
Dial back to 2017. Then Reckitt Benckiser’s CEO Rakesh Kapoor spent $16.6n acquiring Mead Johnson, the infant nutrition company. Reckitt paid a 30% premium on the stock price. At the time, the deal’s logic rested more on China than the US, Mead Johnson’s heartland. Reckitt was keen to diversify its portfolio and saw an opportunity …
As the world shifts to EV, will Porsche’s turbo-charged Taycan entice Japanese enthusiasts?
Petrol prices in Japan are currently about 6% higher than the start of the year; they’ve actually dropped slightly since February. The prognosis looking forward isn’t good, one report from Trading Economics is forecasting US$1.63/litre in 2023 and $1.74 in 2024. With these headwinds, and generous Government subsidies for EV buyers (currently JPY650,000 or $5,132) …
Seijo Ishii is the jewel in Lawson’s crown. Where next for the gourmet retailer?
Lawson is one of the big guns in the Japanese convenience store channel. It boasts close to 15,000 outlets domestically, second only to 7-Eleven. Lawson has not sailed untarnished through the pandemic. Its shopper traffic dropped, it sold fewer impulse items and as a consequence the profitability in its core CVS business declined. In 2014 …
Seijo Ishii is the jewel in Lawson’s crown. Where next for the gourmet retailer? Read More »
As Greek yogurt pioneer Chobani heads for the Nasdaq, what can it learn from Oatly?
With sales of $1.4b and a solid market position in the US and Australia, Greek yogurt brand Chobani joins a long list of start-ups going public. Chobani was founded by a Turkish immigrant in 2007 who bravely invested in a yogurt plant Kraft Heinz was selling in Columbus in 2005. Like many success stories, Chobani …
As Greek yogurt pioneer Chobani heads for the Nasdaq, what can it learn from Oatly? Read More »
SkyLark banks on Shabu Shabu hotpot to launch its US business
Skylark may not be a household name in Japan but it has a plethora of well-known fast food restaurant brands from Gusto to Yumean to Tonkara Tei that are found across the country. It’s a big company with sales in excess of $3b, although its revenues dropped 23% in the pandemic. Like many Japanese corporates, …
SkyLark banks on Shabu Shabu hotpot to launch its US business Read More »