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

Seven & I's Ito-Yokado Hopes Branded Deli Will Boost Recovery

MEGA M&A! 7&I (3382 JP) Gets Non-Binding Bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard (ATD CN)

Seven & I Holdings (3382 JP): Couche-Tard “friendly” Proposal Likely to Go Nowhere

Seven & I Spends Another $950mn on Acquisitions, A Possible Defense Against Investor Activism

Investor Activism Update: Seven & I Sets the Path in Investor Activism Battle

Seven & I: Selling Sogo Seibu Is Just the Start

Seven & I Ventures Down Under with 7-Eleven Australia Acquisition

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

<ul>
<li>Seven &amp; I's plans to consolidate its supermarket operations and list in 2027 remain speculative but the timing shows that management was swayed more by the founder's death than activists.</li>
<li>It will need to bring Ito-Yokado (IY) back to profit first and, although it wants to keep at least a 15% stake, there is the strong possibility of a sale.</li>
<li>What matters more is not IY stores but the new SIP format. With CVS saturated, SIP is only way to grow within Japan but this depends on Ito-Yokado supply chains.</li>
</ul>


Seven &amp; I's plans to consolidate its supermarket operations and list in 2027 remain speculative but the timing shows that management was swayed more by the founder's death than activists.
It will need to bring Ito-Yokado (IY) back to profit first and, although it wants to keep at least a 15% stake, there is the strong possibility of a sale.
What matters more is not IY stores but the new SIP format. With CVS saturated, SIP is only way to grow within Japan but this depends on Ito-Yokado supply chains.


Seven & I Letting Go of Ito-Yokado at Last?