Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Equity Bottom-Up

The merger of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/matsumotokiyoshi-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2259:1" rel="noopener">Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd. (3088 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cocokara-fine-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15447:1" rel="noopener">Cocokara Fine (3098 JP)</a> is just one symptom of the growing concentration of market share in the drugstore sector.But the sector's leaders are no longer just battling for dominance in drugstore retailing; increasingly drugstores are evolving far behind this niche sector.Drugstore retailing is growing faster than any sector other than e-commerce because drugstores are positioned to meet customer needs for well-being, health and, nowadays, a broad range of daily necessities including food, and so becoming ever more integrated into consumers’ daily shopping experience.Their eclectic ranges also mean they perform well in the middle of natural disasters and crises of various forms and many chains have seen good results thanks to earthquakes, extreme weather and especially thanks to Covid, but this doesn’t fully explain the sector’s success.Crises may have helped, but Japan’s top drugstores are today some of the country’s best retailers in their own right.The following is a complete, in-depth review of the drugstore sector, including rankings, KPIs, and future trends on the sector and the potential winners.Jun Tsuruha, the current <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tsuruha-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9536:1" rel="noopener">Tsuruha Holdings (3391 JP)</a> CEO, was widely quoted last year as saying the sector would soon be dominated by just “four or five” major firms. This is far from fantasy, with Tsuruha, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/welcia-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20895:1" rel="noopener">Welcia Holdings (3141 JP)</a>, Matsukiyo-Cocokara, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cosmos-pharmaceutical-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3797:1" rel="noopener">Cosmos Pharmaceutical (3349 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sugi-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9255:1" rel="noopener">Sugi Holdings (7649 JP)</a> the most likely contenders.

The merger of Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd. (3088 JP) and Cocokara Fine (3098 JP) is just one symptom of the growing concentration of market share in the drugstore sector.But the sector's leaders are no longer just battling for dominance in drugstore retailing; increasingly drugstores are evolving far behind this niche sector.Drugstore retailing is growing faster than any sector other than e-commerce because drugstores are positioned to meet customer needs for well-being, health and, nowadays, a broad range of daily necessities including food, and so becoming ever more integrated into consumers’ daily shopping experience.Their eclectic ranges also mean they perform well in the middle of natural disasters and crises of various forms and many chains have seen good results thanks to earthquakes, extreme weather and especially thanks to Covid, but this doesn’t fully explain the sector’s success.Crises may have helped, but Japan’s top drugstores are today some of the country’s best retailers in their own right.The following is a complete, in-depth review of the drugstore sector, including rankings, KPIs, and future trends on the sector and the potential winners.Jun Tsuruha, the current Tsuruha Holdings (3391 JP) CEO, was widely quoted last year as saying the sector would soon be dominated by just “four or five” major firms. This is far from fantasy, with Tsuruha, Welcia Holdings (3141 JP), Matsukiyo-Cocokara, Cosmos Pharmaceutical (3349 JP) and Sugi Holdings (7649 JP) the most likely contenders.

Japan Drugstores: Growing Leadership in Food, Household, Cosmetics – and the Odd Medicine Too

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Japan's large wholesalers continue to provide a high value service that massages relationships in the supply chain.The top companies had yet another good year in 2018 and are expected to continue to grow both sales and profits as they consolidate market share and absorb smaller businesses.There are clear signs that the market is in the midst of a major structural shift. As these behemoth firms race to reduce over-reliance on labour in the supply chain, the role of small wholesalers will disappear, which in turn will further decimate independent retailing.

Japan's large wholesalers continue to provide a high value service that massages relationships in the supply chain.The top companies had yet another good year in 2018 and are expected to continue to grow both sales and profits as they consolidate market share and absorb smaller businesses.There are clear signs that the market is in the midst of a major structural shift. As these behemoth firms race to reduce over-reliance on labour in the supply chain, the role of small wholesalers will disappear, which in turn will further decimate independent retailing.

Japan Wholesaling: Higher Sales but Digital Shift Will Decimate Smaller Firms

Chart based progressive global trading strategies, Chart Partners

Thomas Schroeder

Chart based progressive global trading strategies

Chart Partners

Chart Partners objective is to discover medium-term cycle turns and profit opportunities before they unfold, within structural trends while preserving capital with clear degrees of risk. We have real return ideas. 

Markets are dynamic and trading systems must reflect this. It is crucial to determine underlying correlations and lead-lag relationships within global markets and the impact on linked instruments. Our weekly Chartonics product gives you short-term trading strategies that can be applied within the medium and longer term macro trends that are mapped out in our strategy updates. 

Our methodology fuses global market variables and isolates drivers in trends. We specialize in FX, index trade in NY and Asia with a focus on Asian stocks. 

Technical Analysis

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/medipal-holdings-corp" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18394:1">Medipal Holdings (7459 JP)</a> shows a clear up trend with upside momentum concerns brewing given non confirmation of recent highs by trending models.Our more tactical view is bullish off of noted trendline support at 2,300-50 for a try on a minor new high. Buying weakness is the game plan for a new high with a stop below trendline support. A new high shows projection to 2,890 and risk to a marginally higher level.It is this minor new high that we envision a potential intermediate cycle peak that would lead to a break below the current trendline support as bear divergence matures. It is this primary trendline support that will inflect the macro cycle and seek out secondary support if broken.

Medipal Holdings (7459 JP) shows a clear up trend with upside momentum concerns brewing given non confirmation of recent highs by trending models.Our more tactical view is bullish off of noted trendline support at 2,300-50 for a try on a minor new high. Buying weakness is the game plan for a new high with a stop below trendline support. A new high shows projection to 2,890 and risk to a marginally higher level.It is this minor new high that we envision a potential intermediate cycle peak that would lead to a break below the current trendline support as bear divergence matures. It is this primary trendline support that will inflect the macro cycle and seek out secondary support if broken.

Medipal Holdings Upside to New High with Trend Non Confirmations Maturing

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

The U.S. has continued to separate itself from broad emerging market and developed international indexes. One positive is that MSCI EM and MSCI EAFE have been able to stabilize from a price perspective in recent weeks despite relative strength weakness vs. MSCI ACWI.  In today’s report we scour the globe for attractive investments, ex-U.S., in an environment where selectivity is key.

The U.S. has continued to separate itself from broad emerging market and developed international indexes. One positive is that MSCI EM and MSCI EAFE have been able to stabilize from a price perspective in recent weeks despite relative strength weakness vs. MSCI ACWI.  In today’s report we scour the globe for attractive investments, ex-U.S., in an environment where selectivity is key.  

Global Equity Strategy: Where to Hide Outside the U.S.

Director, Pearl Hill Advisors

Nicholas Tanner

Director

Pearl Hill Advisors

Medipal was formed in 2000 following the merger of 3 drug wholesalers (Kuraya, Sanseido and Tokyo Pharmaceutical). It has since merged with a number of other regional wholesalers. Drug wholesaling now accounts for 68% of sales and the company has branched out to offer not just drug wholesaling services. Its 50.1% held subsidiary Paltac (8283) distributes cosmetic, OTC drugs and daily necessities to retailers across Japan as well as operating warehouse facilities. This accounts for 31% of sales…

Medipal was formed in 2000 following the merger of 3 drug wholesalers (Kuraya, Sanseido and Tokyo Pharmaceutical). It has since merged with a number of other regional wholesalers. Drug wholesaling now accounts for 68% of sales and the company has branched out to offer not just drug wholesaling services. Its 50.1% held subsidiary Paltac (8283) distributes cosmetic, OTC drugs and daily necessities to retailers across Japan as well as operating warehouse facilities. This accounts for 31% of sales…

Medipal (7459) Oversold on Announcement Takeda Will Reduce Stake by 1%. Buy Here

Japan

MEDIPAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION manufactures and sells medical tools and equipment, nursing equipment, and wholesales pharmaceuticals.

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Medipal Holdings (7459 JP)

Japan Drugstores: Growing Leadership in Food, Household, Cosmetics – and the Odd Medicine Too

The Japanese drugstore sector has seen a big merger but there will be more as the sector not only consolidates down to a few leaders but also...

Michael Causton

Japan Wholesaling: Higher Sales but Digital Shift Will Decimate Smaller Firms

Japan's large wholesalers continue to provide a high value service that massages relationships in the supply chain.The top companies had yet...

Michael Causton

Medipal Holdings Upside to New High with Trend Non Confirmations Maturing

Medipal Holdings (7459 JP) shows a clear up trend with upside momentum concerns brewing given non confirmation of recent highs by trending...

Thomas Schroeder

Global Equity Strategy: Where to Hide Outside the U.S.

The U.S. has continued to separate itself from broad emerging market and developed international indexes. One positive is that MSCI EM and MSCI...

Vermilion Research

Medipal (7459) Oversold on Announcement Takeda Will Reduce Stake by 1%. Buy Here

Medipal was formed in 2000 following the merger of 3 drug wholesalers (Kuraya, Sanseido and Tokyo Pharmaceutical). It has since merged with a...

Pearl Hill Advisors

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