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

Two of the country’s largest mass market drugstore operators announced talks about a new tie-up last month. If it happens, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/2259" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2259:1">Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co (3088 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/15447" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15447:1">Cocokara Fine (3098 JP)</a> will jointly run a drugstore operation more than a third larger than any current rival.
In this fast developing sector, such a move will not be taken lying down by rivals and could well stimulate a rush of similar tie-ups over the next year.

Two of the country’s largest mass market drugstore operators announced talks about a new tie-up last month. If it happens, Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co (3088 JP) and Cocokara Fine (3098 JP) will jointly run a drugstore operation more than a third larger than any current rival.
In this fast developing sector, such a move will not be taken lying down by rivals and could well stimulate a rush of similar tie-ups over the next year.

Matsukiyo and Cocokara Fine Tie to Shake up Drugstore Sector

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

The drugstore sector has been the fastest growing retail sector after e-commerce in the last decade, boosted by the popularity of Japanese toiletry and cosmetics brands among tourists and the push for market share by leading players.Drugstores already account for 40% of cosmetics sales and their share of other key categories is growing, even in food, with some chains already selling enough food to qualify as top 20 supermarkets (in 2017, 26.2% of drugstore sales came from food).Future profit growth will be determined by prescription services, food and M&amp;A, with all of the leading firms racing to build capacity.

The drugstore sector has been the fastest growing retail sector after e-commerce in the last decade, boosted by the popularity of Japanese toiletry and cosmetics brands among tourists and the push for market share by leading players.Drugstores already account for 40% of cosmetics sales and their share of other key categories is growing, even in food, with some chains already selling enough food to qualify as top 20 supermarkets (in 2017, 26.2% of drugstore sales came from food).Future profit growth will be determined by prescription services, food and M&amp;A, with all of the leading firms racing to build capacity.

<ul class=""><li>The drugstore sector is the one Japanese retail sector to show consistent growth over the past decade. </li><li>It is now the leading channel for mass market cosmetics, health and medical supplies, and is fast becoming an important channel for all types of foods, with some chains already selling enough food to qualify as top 20 supermarkets. </li><li>Drugstores already own close to a 40% share in cosmetics. </li><li>With massive consolidation in the sector, leading chains are looking for ways to differentiate their ranges and add value, generating higher returns as a result.</li><li>The sector still has 1000s of small independent stores which will lose share to the big four buying groups over time.</li><li>Plenty of room for expansion still for all the leading chains.</li><li>Their success means significant competition for other retail sectors, especially convenience stores.</li></ul>

The drugstore sector is the one Japanese retail sector to show consistent growth over the past decade. It is now the leading channel for mass market cosmetics, health and medical supplies, and is fast becoming an important channel for all types of foods, with some chains already selling enough food to qualify as top 20 supermarkets. Drugstores already own close to a 40% share in cosmetics. With massive consolidation in the sector, leading chains are looking for ways to differentiate their ranges and add value, generating higher returns as a result.The sector still has 1000s of small independent stores which will lose share to the big four buying groups over time.Plenty of room for expansion still for all the leading chains.Their success means significant competition for other retail sectors, especially convenience stores.

Drugstores in Japan: Still Plenty of Growth Ahead

Fintech, Real-time Big-Data Analytics Provider, Nowcast, Inc.

Ryota Hayashi

Fintech, Real-time Big-Data Analytics Provider

Nowcast, Inc.

We at Nowcast develop "Big-Data Economic Analytics Platforms".  We aim to revolutionize the financial markets by providing "accurate" and "real-time" analytics based on economic indicators and corporate activity data procured worldwide. 

Our Main Services

(1) Real-time Analytics
With our Nikkei CPI Now Index at our core, we provide real time analytics of global economic indicators such as POS Data. By utilizing Big-Data technology, we also provide real-time analytics of micro level data such as corporate earnings. 

(2) Big-Data Application Consulting
We too provide business consultation and conduct joint research on initiatives that strive to use data, such as from the operation capacity of construction machinery to number of passengers on railroad trains, as economic indicators. We provide continuous support to Data Scientists specialized in economics in their proposal stage, product development and up till its business development. 

(3) Monetary Policy Insights
With the proactive involvement of and support from from academicians in macroeconomics & key figures in the financial industry, we produce reports, conduct seminars and meetings that discuss about the forecast of financial markets, provide intellectual suggestions on asset allocation, etc. 

Macroeconomics

<ul class="ember-tether-target ember-tether-element-attached-top ember-tether-element-attached-left ember-tether-target-attached-top ember-tether-target-attached-right"><li>"Nikkei CPINow" is a statistical database produced by Nowcast Inc. that provides real-time economic statistics using so-called “big data” gathered on a real-time basis; making it possible to “nowcast” economic developments, that is, to gauge them almost in real time.</li><li>Nikkei CPINow was launched in January 2016, disseminating the new “CPINow” price indeces, which succeeds and improves upon the Nikkei UTokyo Daily Price Index.</li><li>This December 2016 Review looks into analyzing the current developments in Japan's economy based on The Nikkei CPINow S index &amp; T index.</li></ul>

"Nikkei CPINow" is a statistical database produced by Nowcast Inc. that provides real-time economic statistics using so-called “big data” gathered on a real-time basis; making it possible to “nowcast” economic developments, that is, to gauge them almost in real time.Nikkei CPINow was launched in January 2016, disseminating the new “CPINow” price indeces, which succeeds and improves upon the Nikkei UTokyo Daily Price Index.This December 2016 Review looks into analyzing the current developments in Japan's economy based on The Nikkei CPINow S index &amp; T index.

December 2016 Review of Current Developments in Japan's Economy

Pharma/ Biotechnology Investments Specialist, Vasuda Capital Management

Dr. Bhavneesh Sharma, MD, MBA

Pharma/ Biotechnology Investments Specialist

Vasuda Capital Management

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/5873" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5873:1">Nihon Chouzai Co Ltd (3341 JP)</a> common stock could have potential 122% upside (DCF). Using sum-of-parts DCF method, we calculated the fair value of the common stock= Yen 9,520. The company's origins lie in the dispensing pharmacies. While the company has a major Japanese market share in this business, it seems to have matured. On the other hand, the company has successfully diversified into the high-margin generic drugs business which seems to be benefiting from the Japanese government's target to shift towards increased generic drug use to save health-care costs. The company also has 1.2% dividend yield.The company's ROE (22.6%) is higher than the industry average. ROIC (9.98%) is higher than the cost of capital and we expect it to further increase over next 5 years due to increased revenue contribution from generic drugs business. The company's EV/EBITDA (10.35) is also lower than the industry average and the forward EV/EBITDA ratio for FY2018 (5.10) and FY2019 (4.73) also reflect that the common stock could have upside from its current level.

Nihon Chouzai Co Ltd (3341 JP) common stock could have potential 122% upside (DCF). Using sum-of-parts DCF method, we calculated the fair value of the common stock= Yen 9,520. The company's origins lie in the dispensing pharmacies. While the company has a major Japanese market share in this business, it seems to have matured. On the other hand, the company has successfully diversified into the high-margin generic drugs business which seems to be benefiting from the Japanese government's target to shift towards increased generic drug use to save health-care costs. The company also has 1.2% dividend yield.The company's ROE (22.6%) is higher than the industry average. ROIC (9.98%) is higher than the cost of capital and we expect it to further increase over next 5 years due to increased revenue contribution from generic drugs business. The company's EV/EBITDA (10.35) is also lower than the industry average and the forward EV/EBITDA ratio for FY2018 (5.10) and FY2019 (4.73) also reflect that the common stock could have upside from its current level. 

Nihon Chouzai: 3331JP:Diversifying from Dispensing Pharmacies to High-Margin Generic Drugs Business.

Japan

NIHON CHOUZAI Co., Ltd. operates a drug store chain in Japan.  The Company manages drug prescriptions, orders, and inventories of all stores through an online system.

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Nihon Chouzai (3341 JP)

Matsukiyo and Cocokara Fine Tie to Shake up Drugstore Sector

Two of the country’s largest mass market drugstore operators announced talks about a new tie-up last month. If it happens, Matsumotokiyoshi...

Michael Causton

Japan Drugstores Set to Expand Further

The drugstore sector has been the fastest growing retail sector after e-commerce in the last decade, boosted by the popularity of Japanese toiletry...

Michael Causton

Drugstores in Japan: Still Plenty of Growth Ahead

The drugstore sector is the one Japanese retail sector to show consistent growth over the past decade. It is now the leading channel for mass...

Michael Causton

December 2016 Review of Current Developments in Japan's Economy

"Nikkei CPINow" is a statistical database produced by Nowcast Inc. that provides real-time economic statistics using so-called “big data”...

Nowcast, Inc.

Nihon Chouzai: 3331JP:Diversifying from Dispensing Pharmacies to High-Margin Generic Drugs Business.

Nihon Chouzai Co Ltd (3341 JP) common stock could have potential 122% upside (DCF). Using sum-of-parts DCF method, we calculated the fair value of...

Dr. Bhavneesh Sharma, MD, MBA

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