Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Michael is co-founder and partner at 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 and seminars on retail sectors and consumer trends, as well as telephone consulting/meetings with investors. 

All of JapanConsuming's team are bilingual and bi-cultural, and the company's research sources are:

Direct meetings with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, trade body staff, govt., marketing firms, academics etc.
Govt. data
Trade association data
Trade Press across all consumer sectors
Unique Network of buyers/managers/marketing staff at retail, as well as wholesalers and trading firms.
Editors/Journalists at publishing houses and PR/Ad firms.


JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Michael Causton set up and ran a consumer distribution business in Tokyo for 10 years and developed this into a business responsible for annual imports to Japan of several billion Yen, at the same time building up an inside knowledge of how Japanese distribution works and developing a network of contacts across the industry. Seeing the lack of quality market intelligence on Japanese markets, he co-founded JapanConsuming in 2000. He divides his time between Japan and Europe/US consulting for companies, governments and investors, including providing talks, seminars, and webinars as well as writing reports and books.

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Japan's Convenience Stores: Tougher Trading

Japan's Convenience Store Chains Soften up Franchisees

New AI Ordering Systems to Counter Criticism of Convenience Stores

Seven & I Opens Truly New Concept Mixing Convenience and Supermarket Range

FamilyMart to Invest Head Count Reduction Gains in Franchisee Support

Seven & I’s Latest Structural Reforms: More Like Forced Changes than Structural Reforms

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. 

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Japan Food and staples retailing / Thematic (Sector/Industry)

The convenience store sector is today the single largest channel in Japanese retailing. Combining both merchandise and digital services, e-commerce generates more revenues overall, but for merchandise alone, the ‘conbini’ or ‘CVS’ sector is still ¥2 trillion larger.It is also the most concentrated of any in retailing, with just three major companies and, depending on how you look at it, the most profitable. There is every chance that the dynamic nature of convenience retailing, along with its close integration with Japanese work practices and society as a whole, will provide room for further growth in the medium-term, but the current growth rate is about to slow.FY2019 marks the first reduction in new store opening plans among the top three chains for more than a decade, and investment is now shifting to existing stores and new ideas to ensure continued customer interest.

The convenience store sector is today the single largest channel in Japanese retailing. Combining both merchandise and digital services, e-commerce generates more revenues overall, but for merchandise alone, the ‘conbini’ or ‘CVS’ sector is still ¥2 trillion larger.It is also the most concentrated of any in retailing, with just three major companies and, depending on how you look at it, the most profitable. There is every chance that the dynamic nature of convenience retailing, along with its close integration with Japanese work practices and society as a whole, will provide room for further growth in the medium-term, but the current growth rate is about to slow.FY2019 marks the first reduction in new store opening plans among the top three chains for more than a decade, and investment is now shifting to existing stores and new ideas to ensure continued customer interest.

Pan Pacific International Holdings (7532 JP)

Convenience Stores: Saturation but Still Growth for Some

Japan Food and Staples Retailing

Convenience Stores: Saturation but Still Growth for Some