Market entry

Seijo Ishii is the jewel in Lawson’s crown. Where next for the gourmet retailer?

Japan, Market entry, Retail / By

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 […]

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As Greek yogurt pioneer Chobani heads for the Nasdaq, what can it learn from Oatly?

IPO, Market entry, Strategy / By

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

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SkyLark banks on Shabu Shabu hotpot to launch its US business

Innovation, Japan, Market entry, QSR / By

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,

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Photo Genevieve Perron-Migneron

Trade show anybody? All’s quiet in the exhibition industry

Digital, Market entry, Marketing / By

Trade shows were a regular feature of corporate marketing pre-Covid. They served as a reminder to key customers of a company’s stature, staff members loved the travel and socialising; and Government agencies, anxious to please, found them a great way to promote a large number of SMEs all at once. Exhibitions and events were big

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Is Peleton pedalling fast enough on exports to boost its share price?

Fitness, Health, Market entry, Marketing / By

It’s a brand that has yet reach its 10th birthday but has revenue over $1.8b. No mean achievement especially in a niche category: high end exercise bikes and treadmills. Peleton’s bikes sell for between $1900 and $4300, it has 5.4m members, and sells monthly memberships between $13 and $39. Peleton, listed on the Nasdaq, was

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Photo Jinomono media

Join the queue for the latest Japanese udon in London!

Ethnic food, Japan, Market entry, Start-up / By

These was the scene last week when Marugame Udon opened its doors in London. Japanese people certainly know how to queue and so do Brits! Marugame Udon is a j/v between Toridoll (the Japanese parent company) and Capdesia a UK entity. There are relatively few Udon restaurants in the UK today, Sushi is far more

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