I have been to Vietnam many times on work assignments. However I’ve only been to Ho Chi Minh, in the south, the city which straddles the Saigon river. Two weeks ago I visited again for a client workshop and in between sandwiched some other engagements. One was with an ex-Nestlé colleague who now works for …
Last week I spent 3 days in Seoul. Although I have been to Korea many times, this was my first visit since the COVID pandemic eased. Seoul was very busy and even though it was November, and hardly peak season, bustling with visitors. I have done quite a few projects in Korea over the years. …
Costco has succeeded in Japan where others have failed. Last week it opened its 32nd store. Join me ot see what I found!
According to Bloomberg, bohemian German shoe brand Birkenstock will IPO shortly for around $8b. If all goes to plan it’s almost double what PE Group L Catterton, LVMH and Groupe Arnault shelled out when acquiring the business just over 2 years ago. What’s driving such a rapid rise in Birkenstock’s fortunes? To start with Birkenstocks …
7-Elevens can be found in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, the Middle East, the US and Canada. However there are many countries where the brand has no presence, like the UK, France and Germany, nor is it present in Latin America either. Japanese retail giant Seven & I holdings owns the 7-Eleven brand as well as …
This post is an update on (Tokyu) Hands new logo and strategy. Yesterday the company, now a subsidiary of Cainz, revealed its new corporate ‘Hands’ logo. The design maintains Hands’s deep green but adds a new motif, based on the Kanji character of a hand. The new logo will first appear in Nagoya at the …
Hands launches new corporate logo with Kanji squiggle Read More »
Tokyu Hands was one of the first stores I visited when I came to Japan. I vividly recall their store in Tokyo with many more floors (and staircases) than I can remember; and then there’s the eclectic range of premium merchandise. Want something you can’t find elsewhere? Go to Tokyu Hands, said my colleagues. Founded …
Tokyu Hands changes hands; enter stage left Home Centre giant Cainz Read More »
Executives across the consumer products and grocery industries globally are watching closely the emerging battle between Heinz and now Mars petcare with Tesco. On the surface the issue is just about price increases. Underneath, the issues are deeper: the profitability of doing business with large grocers who can account for over 30% revenue; brand strength …
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 »
Last year, the Japanese convenience store industry suffered from a slump in sales due to Corona. The pandemic drove away shoppers, particularly in city centres. 2021 interim results show the pace of recovery has been somewhat sluggish with none of the major chains able to increase sales on 2020. Although basket size has grown due …
Japan’s CVS sales still struggle from Covid; low shopper traffic to blame Read More »