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

2nd Emergency Means New Opportunities for Supermarkets

Japan Retail Full Review 2020-2021: Some Retail Sectors Outperform in a Pandemic

Oisix Thrives in Crisis, Ties with Ootoya

Megane Super: Shops on Wheels Are the Future

Convenience Stores: Diversification and a Fight for Share as Familymart Delists

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

Tokushimaru started as a local mobile supermarket in Shikoku but, since being made a subsidiary of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/oisix-ra-daichi-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10145:1" rel="noopener">Oisix ra daichi (3182 JP)</a> in 2016, has become a nationwide network of vans franchised by a growing number of supermarkets.Almost all of its customers are elderly – Japan's fastest growing population segment – and it takes pride in serving communities.Now, with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/seven-i-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1041:1" rel="noopener">Seven &amp; I Holdings' (3382 JP)</a> Ito-Yokado planning to add most of its store network to the system, Tokushimaru will grow even faster.There are currently around 700 Tokushimaru vans in operation and it expects to hit 1,000 this Spring, with a long-term goal of 5,000.As reported <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/mobile-shops-and-flexible-delivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before on Smartkarma</a>, shops-on-wheels is becoming a major new trend as retailers seek out customers where they are rather than waiting for them to come to their stores.

Tokushimaru started as a local mobile supermarket in Shikoku but, since being made a subsidiary of Oisix ra daichi (3182 JP) in 2016, has become a nationwide network of vans franchised by a growing number of supermarkets.Almost all of its customers are elderly – Japan's fastest growing population segment – and it takes pride in serving communities.Now, with Seven &amp; I Holdings' (3382 JP) Ito-Yokado planning to add most of its store network to the system, Tokushimaru will grow even faster.There are currently around 700 Tokushimaru vans in operation and it expects to hit 1,000 this Spring, with a long-term goal of 5,000.As reported before on Smartkarma, shops-on-wheels is becoming a major new trend as retailers seek out customers where they are rather than waiting for them to come to their stores. 

Oisix ra daichi

Tokushimaru: Oisix's Mobile Super Star