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

Who Owns Who: Concentration Levels Accelerate in Japan Retail, with More M&A to Come

Japanese Interiors Market Reaches Record High Boosting Nitori, Muji and Others

Shrinking, Ageing Japan but a Growing Solo Market

IKEA Harajuku: Made for Japan and for Targeting Nitori

Targeting Nitori: Cainz Follows Workman’s Success into Homeware Retailing with Style Factory Chain

Nitori: A New Pace of Expansion in Home and Now Apparel

A New Era of Home Centre Consolidation Starts as DCM Buys Shimachu

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

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nitori-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20386:1" rel="noopener">Nitori Holdings (9843 JP)</a> had its 34th straight year of record results in FY2020 – and that’s before it has even begun to integrate its recent acquisition of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shimachu-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5235:1" rel="noopener">Shimachu Co Ltd (8184 JP)</a>.
Last month, the largest furniture retailer confirmed further expansion into fashion and a new IKEA-like restaurant concept due to roll out in many of its larger stores.
Nitori is making progress online too; in FY2020, online membership grew 73% to 9.03 million users and Nitori expects to see 13 million users by the end of the current year.
It also plans to open more stores overseas after a pause in 2020 where the potential remains untapped.

Nitori Holdings (9843 JP) had its 34th straight year of record results in FY2020 – and that’s before it has even begun to integrate its recent acquisition of Shimachu Co Ltd (8184 JP).
Last month, the largest furniture retailer confirmed further expansion into fashion and a new IKEA-like restaurant concept due to roll out in many of its larger stores.
Nitori is making progress online too; in FY2020, online membership grew 73% to 9.03 million users and Nitori expects to see 13 million users by the end of the current year.
It also plans to open more stores overseas after a pause in 2020 where the potential remains untapped.

More Diversification to Come as Nitori Chases ¥1 Trillion