Retail News CRM

Tag: Japan

  • Zozo unveils body measurement suit for perfect-fit clothes online

    Zozo unveils body measurement suit for perfect-fit clothes online

    Japanese online fashion retailer Zozo is expanding its offer of tailor-fitted clothing with skin-tight bodysuits that help users upload their measurements online.

    Called the Zozosuit, the garment is covered in polka dots reminiscent of motion-capture leotards. Shoppers don the suit and photograph themselves wearing it, uploading the picture via a smartphone app for Zozo’s software to calculate their exact body shape.

    Zozo, which sells clothes from other brands, envisages bespoke items as being the way forward for online fashions. The platform has already added business suits and formal shirts to its range, which can be tailored to fit customers based on Zozosuit data.

    Zozo CEO Yusaku Maezawa said: “The time where people adapt to clothing is over. This is a new era where clothes adapt to people.”

    The move coincides with Zozo’s potential partnership with clothing manufacturer Shima Seiki, whose whole-garment knit-on-demand technologies can produce seamless items of clothing to order. The firm is also making efforts to expand its business in other countries.

    The company will ship 1 million Zozosuits to customers within the next fortnight.

    Related Posts:

    Lees ook:

  • 7-Eleven boosts parents profit growth

    7-Eleven boosts parents profit growth

    Overseas growth in the 7-Eleven convenience store business drove a modest increase in profit for Japanese retail group Seven & I Holdings in the first quarter.

    While the challenges of a shrinking population, falling household spending and corresponding lacklustre economy in its home market subdued local performance, offshore growth continues to underpin the company’s results.

    Operating profit of 86.4 billion yen (US$781.2 million) was 2.7 per cent higher year-on-year in the three months to May.

    While 7-Eleven Japan is the nation’s largest convenience store chain, with more than 20,000 stores, the c-store sector is struggling to make headway amid growing competition from drugstores, and Seven & I Holdings’ Ito-Yokado supermarket chain, and its department stores are essentially standing still.

    That makes overseas growth critical for Seven & I Holdings. While 7-Eleven Japan operating profit fell 6.9 per cent to 55.4 billion yen, overseas 7-Eleven profits surged 33 per cent. In Thailand, the chain has about 11,000 stores operated by local partner CP All. It has another 9500 stores in the US and more still under franchise agreements in markets including Malaysia, Australia and, more recently, Vietnam.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Muji parent posts new profit record

    Muji parent posts new profit record

    Muji parent Ryohin Keikaku has revealed another record quarter in both sales and operating profit.

    In the three months to May, Muji achieved group-wide sales of 106.5 billion yen (US$963.5 million), up 9.7 per cent year on year. Its net profit reached 9.5 billion yen, its best quarterly result ever.

    Citing strong sales in its Japan home market, and the broader Asia-Pacific region, Muji’s president Satoru Matsuzaki said the company expects even better results to come from overseas markets in the future.

    With profit in Japan, where the population is declining, up a modest 1 per cent, its East Asian surplus soared 36 per cent during the quarter.

    Looking forward, Muji expects strong growth in China. Sales there accounted for 17 per cent of the group’s sales during the quarter, making it the second-largest market for the brand behind Japan, with 65 per cent.

    Muji will start designing products in China for Chinese, after some previous missteps with items created in Japan. Matsuzaki cited water bottles as an example, which Chinese consumers shunned because they were too small.

    “We want to sell appropriate products to match China,” he said.

    Muji this week revealed plans to open an office in Switzerland which will become the headquarters for its struggling European business. Despite a loss of 273 million yen in Europe and North America during the quarter, the company is confident it can turn the business around and is planning more stores in both regions.

    Lees ook:

  • Federer moves to Uniqlo after leaving Nike

    Federer moves to Uniqlo after leaving Nike

    20-Grand-Slam champion Roger Federer has walked away from a decade long partnership with Nike, signing on to a new deal with Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo.

    Federer will represent Uniqlo at all tennis tournaments throughout the year, starting with The Championships at Wimbledon 2018.

    Mr Federer is one of the greatest champions in history; my respect for him goes beyond sport,” said Tadashi Yanai, Uniqlo founder and chairman, president and CEO of fast retailing.

    “Our partnership will be about innovation on and off court. We share a goal of making positive change in the world, and I hope together we can bring the highest quality of life to the greatest number of people.

    “Uniqlo will help Mr. Federer continue taking tennis to new places, while exploring innovations in a number of areas including technology and design with him.”

    Federer noted that he was deeply committed to tennis, but also shared Uniqlo’s values.

    “We share a strong passion to have a positive impact on the world around us and look forward to combining our creative endeavors,” said Federer.

    It is interesting to note that Uniqlo is not a sports company, but describes itself as a life company that creates LifeWear, “apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity.”

    In addition to Federer, the Uniqlo global brand ambassadors are Kei Nishikori (tennis), Shingo Kunieda and Gordon Reid MBE (wheelchair tennis) and Adam Scott (golf).

    Lees ook:

  • Department store in Nagoya ends 400-year history

    Department store in Nagoya ends 400-year history

    A 400-year-old department store in Nagoya has closed.

    Maruei Department Store, which opened as Juichiya kimono shop in 1615 and was renamed in 1943 when it merged with another retailer, was once the largest stores of its kind in Western Japan. It was hit by hard economic times in the early 1990s but was kept operational until sales dropped to an all-time low last year.

    Under new ownership since being acquired by Nagoya pharmaceuticals firm Kowa in 2010, the store failed to overcome the rise of e-commerce and became obsolete, with some observers noting a base inconsistency in its various product lineups. Kowa is planning to reopen a commercial facility on the same site several years from now.

    Yoshimitsu Hamajima, the president of Maruei Department Store, thanked the crowds of well-wishers who showed up for the grand closing ceremony.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo unveils plans to open in Denmark in 2019

    Uniqlo unveils plans to open in Denmark in 2019

    Uniqlo has been working hard on expanding its presence across Europe, and will arrive in Sweden and the Netherlands in fall 2018.

    The next new market for the casualwear label will be Denmark, where a new store is expected to open Strøget, one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets, in Copenhagen in the spring of next year.

    The company has chosen a historical building dating back to the mid-1700’s, once occupied by clothier Louise Christine Rasmussen, for its first Danish store, which will occupy a space of approximately 1,400 square metres across three levels. Elements from the original classic style architecture will feature throughout the interior of the store and on the façade.

    “We are pleased to be announcing our next phase of growth in Scandinavia with the launch of our first store in Denmark next year, on the renowned Strøget in Copenhagen. We look forward to introducing the Uniqlo brand and our LifeWear concept to Danish customers, who appreciate well designed, functional and high quality clothes,” said Taku Morikawa, chief executive officer of Uniqlo Europe.

    Denmark will become Uniqlo’s 9th country in Europe, joining the UK, France, Russia, Germany, Belgium and Spain and new markets Sweden and the Netherlands.

  • Japan’s Ryohin Keikaku opens second Muji Hotel in Beijing

    Japan’s Ryohin Keikaku opens second Muji Hotel in Beijing

    Japan’s Muji hotel & store has just opened in Beijing in a key location overlooking Tiananmen Square.

    The hotel’s first basement-level retail store sells travel essentials and everyday items, many of which feature in the guest room amenities.

    Designed as an antidote to the brute gorgeousness of boutique and luxury properties and the cheapness of budget accommodation, the hotel’s understated zen-like interior grounded in undisturbed sleep is intended to stand in keeping with the world heritage sites in the hotel’s immediate surrounding district.

    The property also features a Muji Café&Meal venue serving simple, health-conscious food offerings, and a diner featuring classic East Asian cuisine.

    Another Muji hotel opened in Shenzhen last January.

    Check how Muji Hotel Beijing looks in the gallery below (10 images) :

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Lotte Japan votes to keep imprisoned Shin on board

    Lotte Japan votes to keep imprisoned Shin on board

    Shareholders of Lotte’s Japanese holding company voted to retain imprisoned Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin as director, dashing his estranged older brother Shin Dong-joo’s hopes to take over the position.

    At the meeting held at Lotte Holdings’ headquarters in Tokyo, shareholders voted against ousting Shin Dong-bin from the board and replacing him with his older brother. Shin Dong-joo has been trying to overthrow his brother since all of his titles, including vice chairman of Lotte Japan, were stripped from him in 2015. This was his fifth unsuccessful attempt to win over Lotte Holdings’ shareholders.

    His younger brother Shin Dong-bin, who has been in jail since February on charges of bribery related to President Park Geun-hye’s abuse of power scandal, requested bail earlier this month in order to make his case to the shareholders in the latest meeting. However, his request went unanswered until late Thursday. A team of Lotte Group executives in Korea, including Vice Chairman Hwang Gak-gyu, had to deliver Shin’s letter to Lotte Holdings’ top management.

    “We’re relieved that the shareholders of Lotte’s Japanese unit expressed their support for Chairman Shin despite his vacancy,” said Lotte Corporation, Lotte’s Korean holding company, in a statement issued immediately after the results came out.

    The statement also condemned Shin Dong-joo. It requested that he “stop evoking needless controversies that create an uneasy sentiment among [Lotte] employees and degrade the company’s value.”

    Shin Dong-joo issued a statement through his SDJ Corporation that the older Shin will “continue pushing efforts to normalize Lotte Group,” implying that he may continue to campaign to take over his younger brother’s position at the retail conglomerate.

    A few days after his imprisonment, Shin resigned as co-CEO of Lotte Holdings. The chairman’s detainment raised concerns at the group’s Korean unit, as Shin Dong-joo reignited his efforts to regain control over Lotte.

    Friday’s vote, however, indicates that Lotte’s Japanese unit still has faith in Shin Dong-bin’s leadership, despite a tendency for Japanese shareholders to be harsher on top brass accused of bribery charges.

    Lotte Holdings and its other Japanese affiliates currently own a large stake in the group’s core Korean businesses, like Hotel Lotte and Lotte Property & Development. Their approval is crucial for Lotte Group’s Korean affiliates’ plan to reduce the stakes that Japanese affiliates hold in them.

    “The restructuring is not a one-shot deal – we’re doing what we can, like acquiring shares little by little,” said a Lotte Group spokesman.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Korean Brands Increasing Popularity Among Hong Kong Consumers Over Japanese Brands

    Korean Brands Increasing Popularity Among Hong Kong Consumers Over Japanese Brands

    A Nielsen report shows Korean products have usurped the popularity of Japanese products among young Hong Kong consumers.

    The report traces the local market’s perception of Japanese and Korean trends to assess which is perceived as being more popular. It shows that for the first time, more than half of respondents aged 18 to 54 are confident in the longevity of Korean pop-culture influences in the near future.

    Some 80 per cent of millennials, in a response pattern that skewed towards women, preferred Korean trends. And 88 per cent of higher-income respondents were shown to have strong brand recognition for Korean products and to have visited Korea twice within the last year.

    Key drivers behind Korean trends are shown to be entertainment, fashion, and personal care targeted at millennial buyers. Korean food products are also increasingly popular in Hong Kong.

    A third of all respondents indicated an intention to increase spending on Korean products in future.

    Nielsen Hong Kong & Macau’s MD Michael Lee said: “With the Korean market slowly emerging in Hong Kong, Korean brands can succeed and win Hong Kong customers’ buy in by being more customer focused, showing emphasis on product quality and charging a premium with innovation. This will certainly open up a new market for opportunities to come”.

    The Nielsen report’s release coincides with an announcement by Chinese online marketing platform iClick Interactive Asia Group that it will form a strategic partnership with MezzoMedia, a Korean digital marketing solutions firm. The move is intended to further open the large Chinese consumer base up to Korean brands.

    MezzoMedia senior VP Kim Jin-Kyu said: “As one of Korea’s largest agencies, we work with brands that have significant appeal to the Chinese consumer… [iClick] will allow targeting into the largest internet audience in the world. In addition, their strategic relations with Tencent, Baidu and Ctrip give access to premium inventory.”

    Lees ook:

  • Japan’s Go! Go! Curry lands in Houston

    Japan’s Go! Go! Curry lands in Houston

    Japanese franchise Go! Go! Curry plans to open in Houston this August.

    The restaurant’s new Chinatown location will serve traditional Japanese curries under the operation of franchisee Daxin.

    Originally from Japan’s Kanazawa, the franchise first opened in the US more than a decade ago in New York’s Times Square, and has already established seven locations on the East Coast and beyond. It is named after the number 55 jersey worn Kanazawa native Hideki Matsui, who played for the New York Yankees. “Go” is the Japanese number five.

    Daxin founder Shishen Li said that while Asian food is gaining rising popularity in the US, Japanese comfort food is an untapped subgenre.

    “We are thrilled to bring the new curry craze to the Houston community before it becomes a saturated market like the ramen or sushi trends before it.”

    In a nod to its name, the chain plans to open 55 franchises throughout North America by 2022.

    Lees ook:

  • Fully automated restaurant boom in China

    Fully automated restaurant boom in China

    A Japanese Twitter user has sparked an online debate over video footage of a fully-automated Chinese restaurant.

    The coverage of the unnamed (and apparently unstaffed) venue in Chinese Shenzhen showed a diner choosing a noodle dish from a touch-screen menu, paying for the meal electronically, receiving it from a robot arm, and dining on a table that automatically retracts to receive waste.

    Japanese netizens were quick to express concerns at the concept of dining over a hidden trash can – not only in terms of hygiene and smell, but also for the potential of losing keys or a mobile phone, and as to whether the trash would be properly separated for recycling.

    A report called the restaurant a sign of the impending robot apocalypse, and wondered if the restaurant bill was a contribution to an electronic uprising to usurp humanity.

  • Japan leads foreign investors in Vietnam in year’s first half

    Japan leads foreign investors in Vietnam in year’s first half

    Foreign investors invested a total of over 20 billion USD in 1,366 new projects and 507 existing ones as well as in contributing capital and buying shares in domestic company in the reviewed period.

    With 5.06 billion USD, the Republic of Korea was Vietnam’s second biggest investor, followed by Singapore with 2.39 billion USD.

    During January-June, foreign investors poured their capital into 55 provinces and cities, in which Hanoi ranked first with 5.87 billion USD. The capital city was followed by Ho Chi Minh City (3.68 billion USD), and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province (1.93 billion USD).

    Manufacturing-processing industry continued to attract the most foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam in the first half of 2018, with 7.91 billion USD, accounting for 38.9 percent of the total registered capital.

    It was followed by real estate, with 5.54 billion USD, and the wholesale and retail sector with 1.5 billion USD, making up 27.3 percent and 7.4 percent of the total, respectively.

    To date, Vietnam has attracted nearly 26,000 projects with a registered capital of 326 billion USD. Disbursement is estimated at 180 billion USD.

    Foreign investment accounts for 25 percent of the country’s total investments and contributes 20 percent of GDP. Last year, the sector contributed nearly 8 billion USD to the State budget, 14.4 percent of total revenue.

    At present, 58 percent of foreign investments focus on processing and manufacturing, generating half of industrial production value.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo Philippines global flagship launch is happening

    Uniqlo Philippines global flagship launch is happening

    Uniqlo Philippines has set the opening date for what will be the Japanese brand’s largest store in Southeast Asia.

    The new store will open on October 5 in Glorietta 5 at Makati City, in Metro Manila.

    Uniqlo says the store will have a sales area of 4000sqm and is designated a “global flagship”.

    “The new store will offer local and international customers a huge shopping area and a world-class immersive shopping experience featuring large visual displays and state-of-the-art design concepts,” Uniqlo said in a statement. “As with other global flagship stores, it will also showcase the full lineup of LifeWear for men, women, kids and babies.”

    Uniqlo has launched a nationwide campaign as a lead-up to the store’s launch, called ‘Our Future Is Here’. The fast-fashion retailer is inviting customers to nominate Filipinos who they believe are leaders in sports, film, music, culture, design, and other disciplines, influencing the nation’s future.

    “The great success of Uniqlo Philippines is thanks to our customers here. The Our Future Is Here campaign is an exciting opportunity to deepen our connection with the city of Manila through our global flagship store, to engage communities and celebrate the innovators who will shape its future,” said John Jay, president for global creative at Uniqlo’s parent, Fast Retailing.

    Denmark foray

    Meanwhile, Uniqlo has announced plans to launch in Denmark, opening its first store in Copenhagen in the second quarter of next year.

    The 1400sqm store will be located on the Stroget, one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets, in Louises Hus, a historical building dating back to the mid-1700s.

    Lees ook:

  • China, Japan and Korea enter 5G alliance

    China, Japan and Korea enter 5G alliance

    The ICT ministers of South Korea, Japan and China have jointly agreed to collaborate on the standardization of 5G technology.

    Korean minister for science and ICT Yoo Young-min, Chinese minister for industry and information technology Miao Wei and Japanese minister for internal affairs and communications Yoo Young-min convened last week to discuss ways to promote cooperation in communications policies and regulations.

    The meeting marked the first ministerial meeting between the three countries in seven years, and the sixth overall.

    The ministers agreed to collaborate on accelerating the commercialization of 5G technology, reducing roaming fees between the three countries and facilitating the deployment of 5G and other advanced technologies for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

    At the summit, more than 200 government and business leaders from the three countries also agreed to cooperate on the development of emerging technologies including 5G, IoT and AI.

    Meanwhile Korea’s ICT ministry has set today as the deadline for applications to participate in South Korea’s first 5G auction.

    The nation’s three mobile operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are expected to all apply to participate in the auction, which is scheduled to commence next Friday. Spectrum in both the 3.5-GHz and 28-GHz bands will be put on the block.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Tse Sui Luen Jewellery to open 100 new stores in China

    Tse Sui Luen Jewellery to open 100 new stores in China

    Hong Kong jewellery retailer Tse Sui Luen (TSL) plans to open 100 stores in China over the next two years after solid growth in its existing store network.

    It currently has 380 stores on the mainland, including 193 self-operated stores and 187 franchised shops. As well as planning new sites, TSL says it is focusing less on department stores there and more on malls in line with consumer shopping patterns.

    Announcing a 21.3 per cent increase in sales group-wide for the last 13 months, and a 113.2 per cent increase in profit attributable to shareholders, TSL said it was also open to expanding its store network in Hong Kong as suitable opportunities presented themselves.

    “Continued expansion of our retail network in all our operating regions is one of our key objectives both now and going forward,” the company said in its results announcement.

    “With a cautious approach to monitoring the rental level and identifying appropriate business partners for our franchising business, we were delighted by the healthy growth in our store network in Hong Kong and Mainland China.”

    Total sales for the 13 months (the group changed its financial year-end date from February 28 to March 31 this year) were HK$14.137 billion. Profit was $49 million.

    In its home market of Hong Kong and Macau, TSL achieved a 19.5 per cent overall increase in same-store sales as tourists from the mainland returned to the territories.

    Thanks to gold product promotions and enrichment of the brand’s product assortments, the average amount per sale increased by 20.3 per cent. TSL opened two new stores in Hong Kong, in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin and Yoho Mall in Yuen Long.

    Mainland China

    TSL says a growing demand for “daily jewellery products” and the continuing emergence of the middle class creates an opportunity to continue to develop its Mainland China business.

    “Our self-operated stores continue to play a significant role as the group’s growth engine accounting for 39.3 per cent of the group’s turnover. However, … due to the shift of consumers away from department stores to shopping malls, we are undergoing a transition in the repositioning of our retail network to focus more on shopping malls and less on department stores.”

    Despite the change, the company managed to maintain its sales at similar levels to last year and same-store sales growth was 10.4 per cent, (including the effect of an extra month in the figures).

    Malaysia

    The company also operates four stores in Malaysia, where sales grew 48 per cent. “We remain positive about this business and will continue to expand further in appropriate locations when opportunities present themselves,” the company said.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: