No-Moat Fast Retailing Fiscal 2015 Below Expectations; Fair Value Estimate Cut 4% to JPY 31,000

Fast Retailing is Becoming a Global Brand, but will Struggle to Compete with its Global Rivals.

Leading Independent Investment Research, Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar

Leading Independent Investment Research

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. We offer an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. 

Morningstar provides data on more than 500,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 16 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $180 billion in assets under advisement or management as of June 30, 2015. We have operations in 27 countries.

Download the Morningstar Fact Sheet : http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/documents/MarketingFactSheets/AboutMorningstarFactsheet.pdf

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Hong kong Consumer discretionary / Thematic (Sector/Industry)

A Possible Future Disruptive Technology ?<ul><li>In our opinion, as fashion trends change to reflect the values and cultural identity of the times, different competitive advantages are demanded and rewarded.</li><li>For example, in the '90s consumers were willing to pay a premium for brands and wanted logo merchandise. After 2008, consumer preference shifted to value offerings.</li><li>We think these constantly evolving preferences leave the industry very exposed to the threat of new entrants.</li><li>3D Printing is in its very early stages of market penetration but, at first glance, seems to possess many attributes that would allow it to be competitively advantageous in the current fashion environment. In particular, we note three trends that are currently commanding price premiums: technical differentiation, improved fit, and customization.</li><li>3D Printing not only advances each of these three characteristics but unites them and provides attractive cost advantages while doing so. However, we see quite a few barriers that need to be overcome before it can become a significant threat to mass manufacturing.</li><li>In the near term, we see 3D Printing most impacting jewelry and accessories manufacturers, increasing the presence of design-it-yourself kiosks in stores, and used in one-off designs.</li><li>In the very long term, if the technology can scale, we see companies with strong brands and technically differentiated products as the winners, while those with supply chain cost advantages, value-oriented non-branded products, and differentiated on fit as most exposed to the threat.</li></ul>Analyst: Bridget Weishaar&nbsp;

A Possible Future Disruptive Technology ?In our opinion, as fashion trends change to reflect the values and cultural identity of the times, different competitive advantages are demanded and rewarded.For example, in the '90s consumers were willing to pay a premium for brands and wanted logo merchandise. After 2008, consumer preference shifted to value offerings.We think these constantly evolving preferences leave the industry very exposed to the threat of new entrants.3D Printing is in its very early stages of market penetration but, at first glance, seems to possess many attributes that would allow it to be competitively advantageous in the current fashion environment. In particular, we note three trends that are currently commanding price premiums: technical differentiation, improved fit, and customization.3D Printing not only advances each of these three characteristics but unites them and provides attractive cost advantages while doing so. However, we see quite a few barriers that need to be overcome before it can become a significant threat to mass manufacturing.In the near term, we see 3D Printing most impacting jewelry and accessories manufacturers, increasing the presence of design-it-yourself kiosks in stores, and used in one-off designs.In the very long term, if the technology can scale, we see companies with strong brands and technically differentiated products as the winners, while those with supply chain cost advantages, value-oriented non-branded products, and differentiated on fit as most exposed to the threat.Analyst: Bridget Weishaar&nbsp;

The 3D Printing Revolution and Its Impact on the Apparel Industry