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

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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 Consumer discretionary / Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul class="">
<li>Department stores bounced back last year, and in some regions had a party, with sales at stores in Osaka alone up 6.6%.</li>
<li>Overall, of course, sales for the sector continued to contract due to closures and further conversion of space to tenancies, but this is making the format more efficient.</li>
<li>Further efficiency is coming from real gains in retail know-how and marketing, with some of the better chains emerging as genuine retailers for the first time in decades, shedding their former role as real estate managers.</li>
<li>As a result, the top 50 stores, which are the core target for most international brands of apparel, accessories, food and home products, are distancing themselves from the rest both in terms of positioning and performance.</li>
<li>Most observers view the Japanese department store sector negatively, with little to offer investors. However the net result of recent improvements in stores, diversification, and the boom in sales to tourists is that some department store operators, notably <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/8947" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8947:1">J Front Retailing (3086 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/370" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:370:1">Takashimaya (8233 JP)</a> are emerging as more diversified, profitable businesses, with the potential to grow once again.</li>
</ul>
<p>The following is a long read but provides a comprehensive summary of the trends in the Japanese department store sector, which firms will come out ahead, and which are headed for trouble.</p>


Department stores bounced back last year, and in some regions had a party, with sales at stores in Osaka alone up 6.6%.
Overall, of course, sales for the sector continued to contract due to closures and further conversion of space to tenancies, but this is making the format more efficient.
Further efficiency is coming from real gains in retail know-how and marketing, with some of the better chains emerging as genuine retailers for the first time in decades, shedding their former role as real estate managers.
As a result, the top 50 stores, which are the core target for most international brands of apparel, accessories, food and home products, are distancing themselves from the rest both in terms of positioning and performance.
Most observers view the Japanese department store sector negatively, with little to offer investors. However the net result of recent improvements in stores, diversification, and the boom in sales to tourists is that some department store operators, notably J Front Retailing (3086 JP) and Takashimaya (8233 JP) are emerging as more diversified, profitable businesses, with the potential to grow once again.

The following is a long read but provides a comprehensive summary of the trends in the Japanese department store sector, which firms will come out ahead, and which are headed for trouble.

Japan Department Stores 2018: Some Growth Again and Even Real Profits – Part I