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. 

Event-Driven

Itochu's plans for Familymart are about a lot more than control – it has had effective control for years anyway.
There is a much bigger story: the fact that food is the one last hold out of traditional distribution practices with multiple layers of importers, wholesalers and a fragmented retail sector, resulting in gross inefficiencies. 
Japan's biggest trading companies, particularly <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/itochu-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18448:1" rel="noopener">Itochu Corp (8001 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mitsubishi-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20668:1" rel="noopener">Mitsubishi Corp (8058 JP),</a> have been major beneficiaries of this system, capturing margins at all stages of the channel, from raw material imports to retail. 
Pressure on the food sector to modernise has been building for a decade and this is now happening in the form of retailers building to national scale to finally take on this supply-side dominance and also learning to source direct, cutting out wholesalers. The trading companies know this and are themselves beginning to build what are in effect vertically integrated food distribution businesses, at the same time as pivoting themselves as the main suppliers to Japan's biggest food-based retailers.
Itochu and Mitsubishi are spearheading this change. This rivalry in the food sector between the two venerable trading firms is as important as the rivalry between their proxies in convenience store retailing, Familymart and Lawson.
Absorbing Familymart is the basis for a much bigger consolidation of Itochu's interests which include stakes in numerous food retailers as well as role as the biggest food wholesaler when all its subsidiaries are taking into account.
Sadly, current Familymart shareholders won't benefit from this consolidation nor the likely spike in operating margins as some of the fat in food distribution is finally cut.
In Japan, where food prices have been kept so high for so long by entrenched interests (Japanese love food but the 24% of consumption budgets spent on food (much, much higher than most  equivalent markets) is much more about high prices than being a gourmet nation), the potential to cut costs is staggeringly large.
Even within CVS retailing, Itochu will likely benefit from the continued growth of the big three retailers – despite format saturation.
For the sector as a whole, 2019 saw the highest average daily sales per store so far of ¥590,794, a 12.1% increase on 2010. In the same decade, total store numbers increased by 33.4%, but total sales increased by 50.2%.
CVS have not just expanded in number, but their position and ability to exploit the market have improved dramatically too. Based on METI figures, CVS market share of retailing has expanded from 6% to 8.4% in the same period.
In other words, saturation is important but not that important because CVS are finding new ways to expand both their share of retailing and influence.

Itochu's plans for Familymart are about a lot more than control – it has had effective control for years anyway.
There is a much bigger story: the fact that food is the one last hold out of traditional distribution practices with multiple layers of importers, wholesalers and a fragmented retail sector, resulting in gross inefficiencies. 
Japan's biggest trading companies, particularly Itochu Corp (8001 JP) and Mitsubishi Corp (8058 JP), have been major beneficiaries of this system, capturing margins at all stages of the channel, from raw material imports to retail. 
Pressure on the food sector to modernise has been building for a decade and this is now happening in the form of retailers building to national scale to finally take on this supply-side dominance and also learning to source direct, cutting out wholesalers. The trading companies know this and are themselves beginning to build what are in effect vertically integrated food distribution businesses, at the same time as pivoting themselves as the main suppliers to Japan's biggest food-based retailers.
Itochu and Mitsubishi are spearheading this change. This rivalry in the food sector between the two venerable trading firms is as important as the rivalry between their proxies in convenience store retailing, Familymart and Lawson.
Absorbing Familymart is the basis for a much bigger consolidation of Itochu's interests which include stakes in numerous food retailers as well as role as the biggest food wholesaler when all its subsidiaries are taking into account.
Sadly, current Familymart shareholders won't benefit from this consolidation nor the likely spike in operating margins as some of the fat in food distribution is finally cut.
In Japan, where food prices have been kept so high for so long by entrenched interests (Japanese love food but the 24% of consumption budgets spent on food (much, much higher than most  equivalent markets) is much more about high prices than being a gourmet nation), the potential to cut costs is staggeringly large.
Even within CVS retailing, Itochu will likely benefit from the continued growth of the big three retailers – despite format saturation.
For the sector as a whole, 2019 saw the highest average daily sales per store so far of ¥590,794, a 12.1% increase on 2010. In the same decade, total store numbers increased by 33.4%, but total sales increased by 50.2%.
CVS have not just expanded in number, but their position and ability to exploit the market have improved dramatically too. Based on METI figures, CVS market share of retailing has expanded from 6% to 8.4% in the same period.
In other words, saturation is important but not that important because CVS are finding new ways to expand both their share of retailing and influence.

Keeping It in the Family: Why Familymart Is Worth so Much More to Itochu

Equity Bottom-Up

As reported in an earlier insight (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/big-apparel-in-trouble-onward-to-close-1-400-stores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Apparel in Trouble: Onward to Close 1,400 stores</a>), Japan's big apparel firms were already fighting for survival before March and now even more so.
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sanyo-shokai-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12308:1" rel="noopener">Sanyo Shokai (8011 JP)</a> is in worse shape than most because it lost the license for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/burberry-group-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21849:1" rel="noopener">Burberry (BRBY LN)</a> in 2015 and not only failed to set up replacement licenses or brands in the years leading up to that loss, but has failed spectacularly ever since.
Not surprisingly, a US shareholder, RMB Capital, has been putting pressure on the apparel firm to get its house in order after years of empty promises about profit recovery. At the shareholder's meeting in late May, Japanese shareholders closed ranks, however.
While Sanyo Shokai may have won this round, in the longer-term battle for survival, it looks worryingly vulnerable to the same fate as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/renown-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10158:1" rel="noopener">Renown Inc (3606 JP). </a>

As reported in an earlier insight (Big Apparel in Trouble: Onward to Close 1,400 stores), Japan's big apparel firms were already fighting for survival before March and now even more so.
Sanyo Shokai (8011 JP) is in worse shape than most because it lost the license for Burberry (BRBY LN) in 2015 and not only failed to set up replacement licenses or brands in the years leading up to that loss, but has failed spectacularly ever since.
Not surprisingly, a US shareholder, RMB Capital, has been putting pressure on the apparel firm to get its house in order after years of empty promises about profit recovery. At the shareholder's meeting in late May, Japanese shareholders closed ranks, however.
While Sanyo Shokai may have won this round, in the longer-term battle for survival, it looks worryingly vulnerable to the same fate as Renown Inc (3606 JP). 

Big Apparel in Trouble: Sanyo Shokai Slashes Stores and Fights off Shareholder Pressure

Independent Asian Credit Research, Bondcritic

Warut Promboon

Independent Asian Credit Research

Asian Fixed Income/Frontier Market Research

Bondcritic

Bondcritic, established in 2009, is designed to be an independent credit research voice that helps investors gain insights and unbiased analyses on Asian fixed income market. Our mission is to discover deep-value Asian high-yield and distressed bonds with a bottom-up approach, together with the help of our proprietary ESG (Environmental, Social Development, and Governance) model. At the same time, we focus on bringing investment cases of unrated and unloved issuers to the general public.

Credit

We initiate our coverage of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/thomson-medical-group-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8495:1" rel="noopener">Thomson Medical Group Limited (ROWS SP)</a> (TMG). The acquisition of a profitable Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) together with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tmc-life-sciences-bhd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12066:1" rel="noopener">Tmc Life Sciences (TMCL MK)</a> (TMCLS) by Rowsley Ltd. in 1Q’18 has changed the fortune and checkered past of Rowsley, in our view. With the divestment of its loss-making real estate investments in January 2019 and name changed to TMG, TMG is now a pure healthcare play on a clean slate.TMG’s strength lies in TMC/TMLCS as one of Asia’s largest healthcare players with a focus in the Obstetrics &amp; Gynaecology (O&amp;G) markets in Singapore and Malaysia. Revenue drivers going forward include (1) its premier private hospital status in Singapore, (2) TMSCL’s expansion in Kuala Lumpur, and (3) the new hospital development in Johor Bharu.We see the first driver as a cash cow on TMC’s focus on oncology and preventive health as the next pillar of growth in the medical industry. COVID-19 patients could have further complication due to diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart problems. Thus, we expect preventive healthcare to grow in importance whether or not COVID-19 stays with us. We see the latter two drivers as promising in Malaysia’s much larger market (compared to Singapore) with the triple expansion of capacity at Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara near Kuala Lumpur to generate revenue by 2021, and the potential to draw Singaporeans to visit hospital facilities in Johor Bharu when the facility will be completed in 2026. We like the long-term prospect but are cautious in the next 2-3 years as capex for the Malaysian projects can worsen the liquidity situation at TMG. Our base-case scenario calls for patients worldwide to be postponing non-essential medical procedures and even parenthood that could reduce TMG’s revenue growth, to say the least.TMG’s balance sheet is highly levered stemming from the side effect of the acquisition which, in our view, encouraged management to maximize return on shareholders’ equity for the publicly-listed stocks with additional leverage. We expect its liquidity and EBITDA to just sufficiently cover its cash outflow and would see additional capital injection as credit-positive in the future.Overall, we like TMG’s leveraged growth story but believe the story is geared to benefit shareholders more than bondholders. Clearly, Rowsley’s management realized the potential of TMC’s cashflow, and decided to maximize shareholders’ value through borrowing. As far as bondholders are concerned, this is about balancing liquidity risk with recurring revenue. In our judgment, its debt level would put the group in the “B“ category had it not been for its recurring revenue in the healthcare industry. We believe the bonds are fully-valued versus peers and see limited upside in the near term while we do not recommend selling either as we believe the TMGSP complex still offers a fair carry for its recurring cashflow . As such, we assign a NEUTRAL recommendation on the TMGSP complex.

We initiate our coverage of Thomson Medical Group Limited (ROWS SP) (TMG). The acquisition of a profitable Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) together with Tmc Life Sciences (TMCL MK) (TMCLS) by Rowsley Ltd. in 1Q’18 has changed the fortune and checkered past of Rowsley, in our view. With the divestment of its loss-making real estate investments in January 2019 and name changed to TMG, TMG is now a pure healthcare play on a clean slate.TMG’s strength lies in TMC/TMLCS as one of Asia’s largest healthcare players with a focus in the Obstetrics &amp; Gynaecology (O&amp;G) markets in Singapore and Malaysia. Revenue drivers going forward include (1) its premier private hospital status in Singapore, (2) TMSCL’s expansion in Kuala Lumpur, and (3) the new hospital development in Johor Bharu.We see the first driver as a cash cow on TMC’s focus on oncology and preventive health as the next pillar of growth in the medical industry. COVID-19 patients could have further complication due to diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart problems. Thus, we expect preventive healthcare to grow in importance whether or not COVID-19 stays with us. We see the latter two drivers as promising in Malaysia’s much larger market (compared to Singapore) with the triple expansion of capacity at Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara near Kuala Lumpur to generate revenue by 2021, and the potential to draw Singaporeans to visit hospital facilities in Johor Bharu when the facility will be completed in 2026. We like the long-term prospect but are cautious in the next 2-3 years as capex for the Malaysian projects can worsen the liquidity situation at TMG. Our base-case scenario calls for patients worldwide to be postponing non-essential medical procedures and even parenthood that could reduce TMG’s revenue growth, to say the least.TMG’s balance sheet is highly levered stemming from the side effect of the acquisition which, in our view, encouraged management to maximize return on shareholders’ equity for the publicly-listed stocks with additional leverage. We expect its liquidity and EBITDA to just sufficiently cover its cash outflow and would see additional capital injection as credit-positive in the future.Overall, we like TMG’s leveraged growth story but believe the story is geared to benefit shareholders more than bondholders. Clearly, Rowsley’s management realized the potential of TMC’s cashflow, and decided to maximize shareholders’ value through borrowing. As far as bondholders are concerned, this is about balancing liquidity risk with recurring revenue. In our judgment, its debt level would put the group in the “B“ category had it not been for its recurring revenue in the healthcare industry. We believe the bonds are fully-valued versus peers and see limited upside in the near term while we do not recommend selling either as we believe the TMGSP complex still offers a fair carry for its recurring cashflow . As such, we assign a NEUTRAL recommendation on the TMGSP complex.

Thomson Medical Group: Medicated by Leverage

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

No one really knows what will happen after the initial shock of the coronavirus fades away. Many observers in Japan, expert and otherwise, are already predicting a completely new world in one way or another, but the reality is likely more prosaic.What is certain is that the Japanese consumer economy will recover and it is just a question of when.The most likely effect of the crisis is that it will catalyse a period of change already in process and which also happens to be one of the most dramatic and far-reaching seen so far in retail.But there is one trend that may well reverse as more businesses go under or contract, providing relief for many retailers: the labour shortage and rise in wages.The following offers an in-depth review of both the impact of the current crisis and implications as well as the long-term trends in Japanese retailing, providing insight into which sectors, formats and specific companies will win and lose in the next three years.For a short read, we provide the conclusions and winners and losers first.

No one really knows what will happen after the initial shock of the coronavirus fades away. Many observers in Japan, expert and otherwise, are already predicting a completely new world in one way or another, but the reality is likely more prosaic.What is certain is that the Japanese consumer economy will recover and it is just a question of when.The most likely effect of the crisis is that it will catalyse a period of change already in process and which also happens to be one of the most dramatic and far-reaching seen so far in retail.But there is one trend that may well reverse as more businesses go under or contract, providing relief for many retailers: the labour shortage and rise in wages.The following offers an in-depth review of both the impact of the current crisis and implications as well as the long-term trends in Japanese retailing, providing insight into which sectors, formats and specific companies will win and lose in the next three years.For a short read, we provide the conclusions and winners and losers first.

After Covid: The Future for Japanese Retail: Winners & Losers

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist, LightStream Research

Campbell Gunn

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/131/100/original/File%202020-05-04%207%2017%2056.jpeg?1588544362" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="131100"></figure><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/131/101/original/File%202020-05-04%207%2017%2024.jpeg?1588544387" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="131101"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source<a href="http://www.ourworldindata.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> • ourworldindata.org</a>
</div>NO QUARTER - Since the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency less than three weeks ago, Japan has seen a modest decline in the number of daily confirmed new cases of COVID-19, however, the number of attributed deaths continues to trend upwards. As we have been suggesting, Prime Minister Abe will, therefore, announce an extension of the restrictions until the end of May. Some measures will be eased outside the eighteen most-affected prefectures, but travel across prefectural borders will be discouraged.  For many businesses in Japan, the current quarter will see no revenues and the overly-strict and bureaucratic compensation schemes will be insufficient and delayed. In the last few days, several suicides among restaurant owners have been reported. A second supplementary budget will be required before July to avoid a permanent loss of economic and social capital. <figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/131/152/original/File%202020-05-03%208%2038%2020.jpeg?1588566632" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="131152"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source • ourworldindata.org</div>NO WAY OUT? - For Japan to exit its state of emergency by the end of May will require an ability to trace cases beyond just several 'clusters'. Although the previous fax-based procedures have been streamlined, Japan is the testing 'outlier' amongst the developed world. If Japan does not improve its testing capability over the next four weeks, further extensions may become necessary.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/131/102/original/2020-05-03_09-16-26.png?1588546147" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="131102"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source • Japan Analytics</div>EARLY DAYS - With just 411 or 13% of the March/June/September/December cohort of companies having announced results, the declines in trailing-twelve-month (TTM) profits are modest. Forecast revisions are a sign of what is to come after the Golden Week holidays end this Thursday. The 'gap' between TTM results and forecasts is the widest since 2009. Forecast Operating Income is now 18% below the 2019 peak, while the same differential for Net Income is 31%. The changes in operating and net margins are -153bps and -188bps, respectively. The market aggregate multiple of 17.1x is close to a two-year high but is still half the pre-Abenomics decade average. We expect the COVID-19 trough TTM Net Income to be approximately ¥12.5 trillion, similar to the ¥13.4 trillion average aggregate Net Income for 2002-12. Using the average annual multiple for that period of 34x suggests a total market value 'low' of ¥425 trillion, 25% below Friday's close.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/131/105/original/2020-05-04_08-41-08.png?1588549288" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="131105"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source • Japan Analytics</div>SECTOR RESULTS &amp; REVISION SCORE TIMELINE - The leading and lagging Sectors as measured by Our Results &amp; Revision Score have some striking similarities and differences from 2008/9.  During the COVID crisis, the Internet Content &amp; Services Sector is performing as well in 2008/9. The Sector will soon 'overtake' the Information Technology Sector, which will suffer from corporate spending cutback, as is also try for Commercial Services. Metals, Machinery, and Electrical Equipment, are repeating their GFC declines. Technology Hardware will play 'catch up' on the downside in the second 'wave'. Perhaps the most-directly-affected Sector has yet to see any significant decline, primarily because many companies have given up forecasting and their Score is mostly backwards-looking. As COVID-19 is a social and not, as yet, a financial crisis, the Consumer Services and Transportation &amp; Logistics Sectors have replaced the Banks and Non-Bank Finance Sectors on the downside on this occasion. The extent to which the latter two are impacted remains to be seen.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/131/138/original/2020-05-04_11-15-00.png?1588558519" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="131138"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source • Japan Analytics</div>In the DETAIL below, we shall review the results, revisions and initial forecast announcements made on Friday by larger-cap companies.  On a relatively quiet day ahead of three consecutive public holidays, the positive/neutral/negative balance of the 33 results announcements was 13:1:19. The net change in Score was -31. For the 40 revisions/initial forecasts, the split was 11:2:27  and the average Score was -7. Of the nineteen companies declaring full-year results, ten made interim or annual forecasts for the current year. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tokyu-recreation-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20602:1" rel="noopener">Tokyu Recreation (9631 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/space-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10550:1" rel="noopener">Space (9622 JP)</a> withdrew their forecasts for the current year.

Source • ourworldindata.org
NO QUARTER - Since the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency less than three weeks ago, Japan has seen a modest decline in the number of daily confirmed new cases of COVID-19, however, the number of attributed deaths continues to trend upwards. As we have been suggesting, Prime Minister Abe will, therefore, announce an extension of the restrictions until the end of May. Some measures will be eased outside the eighteen most-affected prefectures, but travel across prefectural borders will be discouraged.  For many businesses in Japan, the current quarter will see no revenues and the overly-strict and bureaucratic compensation schemes will be insufficient and delayed. In the last few days, several suicides among restaurant owners have been reported. A second supplementary budget will be required before July to avoid a permanent loss of economic and social capital. Source • ourworldindata.orgNO WAY OUT? - For Japan to exit its state of emergency by the end of May will require an ability to trace cases beyond just several 'clusters'. Although the previous fax-based procedures have been streamlined, Japan is the testing 'outlier' amongst the developed world. If Japan does not improve its testing capability over the next four weeks, further extensions may become necessary.Source • Japan AnalyticsEARLY DAYS - With just 411 or 13% of the March/June/September/December cohort of companies having announced results, the declines in trailing-twelve-month (TTM) profits are modest. Forecast revisions are a sign of what is to come after the Golden Week holidays end this Thursday. The 'gap' between TTM results and forecasts is the widest since 2009. Forecast Operating Income is now 18% below the 2019 peak, while the same differential for Net Income is 31%. The changes in operating and net margins are -153bps and -188bps, respectively. The market aggregate multiple of 17.1x is close to a two-year high but is still half the pre-Abenomics decade average. We expect the COVID-19 trough TTM Net Income to be approximately ¥12.5 trillion, similar to the ¥13.4 trillion average aggregate Net Income for 2002-12. Using the average annual multiple for that period of 34x suggests a total market value 'low' of ¥425 trillion, 25% below Friday's close.Source • Japan AnalyticsSECTOR RESULTS &amp; REVISION SCORE TIMELINE - The leading and lagging Sectors as measured by Our Results &amp; Revision Score have some striking similarities and differences from 2008/9.  During the COVID crisis, the Internet Content &amp; Services Sector is performing as well in 2008/9. The Sector will soon 'overtake' the Information Technology Sector, which will suffer from corporate spending cutback, as is also try for Commercial Services. Metals, Machinery, and Electrical Equipment, are repeating their GFC declines. Technology Hardware will play 'catch up' on the downside in the second 'wave'. Perhaps the most-directly-affected Sector has yet to see any significant decline, primarily because many companies have given up forecasting and their Score is mostly backwards-looking. As COVID-19 is a social and not, as yet, a financial crisis, the Consumer Services and Transportation &amp; Logistics Sectors have replaced the Banks and Non-Bank Finance Sectors on the downside on this occasion. The extent to which the latter two are impacted remains to be seen.Source • Japan AnalyticsIn the DETAIL below, we shall review the results, revisions and initial forecast announcements made on Friday by larger-cap companies.  On a relatively quiet day ahead of three consecutive public holidays, the positive/neutral/negative balance of the 33 results announcements was 13:1:19. The net change in Score was -31. For the 40 revisions/initial forecasts, the split was 11:2:27  and the average Score was -7. Of the nineteen companies declaring full-year results, ten made interim or annual forecasts for the current year. Tokyu Recreation (9631 JP) and Space (9622 JP) withdrew their forecasts for the current year. 

🇯🇵 JAPAN MARKET UPDATE 4th May - No Quarter

Japan

MITSUI & CO., LTD. is a general trading company.  The Company has operating groups including Iron and Steel, Non-Ferrous Metals, Machinery, Chemicals, Foods, Energy, Textiles, and General Merchandise.  Mitsui also operates real estate and overseas development projects.

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Mitsui & Co Ltd (8031 JP)

Keeping It in the Family: Why Familymart Is Worth so Much More to Itochu

Itochu's plans for Familymart are about a lot more than control – it has had effective control for years anyway. There is a much bigger story: the...

Michael Causton

Big Apparel in Trouble: Sanyo Shokai Slashes Stores and Fights off Shareholder Pressure

As reported in an earlier insight (Big Apparel in Trouble: Onward to Close 1,400 stores), Japan's big apparel firms were already fighting for...

Michael Causton

Thomson Medical Group: Medicated by Leverage

We initiate our coverage of Thomson Medical Group Limited (ROWS SP) (TMG). The acquisition of a profitable Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) together...

Bondcritic

After Covid: The Future for Japanese Retail: Winners & Losers

No one really knows what will happen after the initial shock of the coronavirus fades away. Many observers in Japan, expert and otherwise, are...

Michael Causton

🇯🇵 JAPAN MARKET UPDATE 4th May - No Quarter

NO QUARTER - Since the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency less than three weeks ago, Japan has seen a modest decline in the number of...

Campbell Gunn

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