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Tag: Japan

  • Diesel Ginza re-opens after top-level redesign

    Diesel Ginza re-opens after top-level redesign

    Launched in 2008, the Diesel Ginza store in Tokyo has re-opened after being restyled by the brand’s own design team.

    A showcase for the Italian brand, the store covers three floors at the 12-storey Ginza Glasse shopping mall. The ground floor, which features a gate-shaped LED screen, matches contemporary elements with rustic-inspired props, such as steel fixtures paired with rugs, concrete flooring with wooden ceilings, and antique furniture.

    This floor and the second level offer the full range of men’s and women’s collections of denim, apparel, bags, shoes and accessories.

    On the third floor are areas dedicated to the Diesel Black Gold and Diesel Living collections, set against industrial furnishings and concrete flooring. The Black Gold section has wallpaper as a backdrop, while the Diesel Living features a boombox and wooden planks.

    The store features exclusive pieces such as leather jackets and denim.

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  • Toyota plans to halve Japan car models by 2025

    Toyota plans to halve Japan car models by 2025

    Toyota is planning to halve the number of car models it sells in Japan to about 30 by 2025 to focus on more popular models in a shrinking market, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

    The automaker currently offers about 62 car models in Japan, including the Prius gasoline hybrid and the Aqua compact hatchback, along with less popular ones including the Premio sedan.

    Auto sales in Japan have been falling as the population rapidly ages, while young people are losing interest in car ownership.

    The plans will allow Toyota to make better use of its resources, the person said, who was not authorized to comment on the matter and declined to be identified.

    Toyota spokeswoman Akiko Kita said the company was pursuing a number of strategies to maintain sales at least 1.5 million vehicles annually in a shrinking market. It currently sells around 1.6 million a year.

    Toyota and other global carmakers are concentrating their efforts on developing lower emissions vehicles, including electric cars while also focusing on expanding market share in emerging markets.

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  • AirAsia X eyes expansion in China, Japan and South Korea

    AirAsia X eyes expansion in China, Japan and South Korea

    AirAsia X considers North Asia, namely, China, Japan, and South Korea, as its new market for growth, said AirAsia. Due to the scarcity of resources, the long haul budget airline will also be rationalising its routes by reallocating some of the current Australian capacity to its other destinations next year.

    “We have to be very selective of our routes, seeing that our aircraft is limited and we will only get more aircraft next year.

    “Demand is starting to pick up from Thailand and Indonesia, and we believe that the next market of growth will be in North Asia. Kamarudin was speaking after the launch of AirAsia X’s launch of four times weekly direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jeju, South Korea.

    AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail targets to achieve a passenger load factor of 80% in 12 months’ time, for the Kuala Lumpur-Jeju route.

    AirAsia is the only airline to operate direct flights to Jeju, from Kuala Lumpur, connecting the island with Malaysia, the rest of Asia, and beyond.

    “South Korea is an important market and we have seen tremendous growth from our existing routes to Seoul and Busan, which will now be complemented by our new service to Jeju, saving our guests the hassle of domestic transit to the island province.

    “This new route will provide additional annual capacity of over 150,000 and will be a significant boost to strengthen business and tourism ties between Malaysia and South Korea,” said Benyamin.

    He added that Malaysia was the second largest tourist market in South Korea, after China.

    An estimated two million passengers travel between South Korea and Malaysia each year.

    The group has plans to increase flight frequencies to Seoul from 14 times weekly to 18 times weekly, beginning December.

    Meanwhile, AirAsia X flight frequencies to Busan shall also be increased from four times a day to five times a day, beginning November.

    The Kuala Lumpur-Jeju route shall commence on December 12, 2017, with promotional all-in fares from RM199 one-way.

    The special promo of all-in fares from RM199 one way on standard seat and RM899 one-way on award winning Premium Flatbed will run from October 10 to October 15, for travel between December 12, 2017 and March 25, 2018, available for booking on airasia.com.

    Jeju Island, also known as the “island of the gods”, is a beautiful volcanic island located 64 kilometres south of the Korean peninsular.

    It is the country’s most popular holiday island, with more than 70% of visitors being domestic travellers seeking out what has become known as the “Hawaii of South Korea”.

  • Wines and spirits contribution to LVMH luxury business

    Wines and spirits contribution to LVMH luxury business

    It has been a bubbly nine months for the LVMH luxury business – with the exception of its wines and spirits division, which was hampered by supply constraints.

    Revenue grew by 14 per cent for the period to reach €30.1 billion (US$35.4 billion).

    With organic revenue growth of 12 per cent, the third quarter continues the trend for the year, says the group. The revenue increase was despite a negative currency impact of 5 per cent and a positive structural impact of 7 per cent, reflecting the integration of Christian Dior Couture.

    All business groups recorded double-digit organic growth, with the exception of wines and spirits where growth was 8 per cent. Champagne volumes were up 4 per cent, with particularly strong demand in Europe and Japan. Hennessy cognac had a volume increase of 9 per cent despite a third-quarter decline related to limited supply.

    LVMH’s selective retailing business group had organic revenue growth of 12 per cent. Online sales grew at a steady pace, and DFS had sustained growth, particularly in Hong Kong and Macau. The T Galleria store in Cambodia has also developed well, says the group.

    Organic growth of 14 per cent was recorded by the fashion and leather goods business group. It attributes this to innovation, such as the launch of Louis Vuitton’s first smartwatch.

    “The qualitative development of the distribution network continues, as illustrated by the opening of the Maison Louis Vuitton Vendome in Paris, which brings together under one roof all the savoir-faire of the maison,” says the group.

    Highlights during the period included Fendi opening stores in the US and Rimowa being consolidated. Donna Karan was sold at the end of last year.

    There was also 14 per organic growth in perfumes and cosmetics. Perfumes benefitted from the launch of the eau de parfum Miss Dior. Guerlain rolled out Mon Guerlain fragrance internationally, and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna had an “exceptional” start.

    Watches and jewellery had 13 per cent organic revenue growth, with Bulgari achieving “a remarkable performance” with the rapid growth of its signature jewellery collections Serpenti, Diva and B.Zero1.

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  • FamilyMart Philippines chain up for auction

    FamilyMart Philippines chain up for auction

    FamilyMart Philippines convenience-store chain, partly owned by the Ayala and Tantoco groups, is up for auction.

    With about 70 stores, the Japanese chain has been offered to prospective investors in the past few months.

    Ayala Land and the Rustan’s group, via their equally owned JV firm Sial CVS Retailers, in 2012 signed a deal with FamilyMart and Itochu Corporation to develop and run FamilyMart convenience stores in the Philippines.
    FamilyMart has been closing unprofitable stores over the past 12 months.

    In the convenience store market in past six years, new brands have been challenging 7-Eleven and MiniStop, respectively run by Philippine Seven Corporation (PSC) and Robinsons Retail Holdings.

    Aside from FamilyMart, the Puregold group also brought Japan’s Lawson into the market while the SM group introduced Indonesian brand Alfamart. Meanwhile, real-estate magnate Manuel Villar has also built his own convenience-store network, All Day.

    To date, the two original brands still lead the market, with 7-Eleven surpassing 2000 outlets while Mini-Stop has at least 500 stores.

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  • Cool Japan Fund to raise cuisine awareness abroad

    Cool Japan Fund to raise cuisine awareness abroad

    State-affiliated Cool Japan Fund says it will launch comprehensive Japanese food outlets overseas featuring restaurants, shops and cultural experiences.

    Its first such outlet will be in London early next year through a JV, Ichiba UK, with Japan Centre Group, a Japanese-run company based in the British capital. Cool Japan Fund will invest up to £3 million (US$3.9 million) for the establishment of the outlet.

    It will be called Ichiba, modelled after Italian food marketplace Eataly, and will include a food zone offering Japanese cuisines, a retail zone for groceries and other products from all over Japan, and Japanese cooking demonstrations.

    Japan Centre Group, established in 1976, runs two Japanese grocery stores and 11 restaurants.

    Similar outlets are planned for other major European cities, including Milan and Paris, says Cool Japan Fund.

    Japan’s government hopes to boost agricultural exports by releasing information about Japanese food culture abroad and supporting moves to sell Japanese specialties in overseas markets.

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  • Amazon Japan launching pop-up bar

    Amazon Japan launching pop-up bar

    To promote the alcoholic drinks being sold on its platform, Amazon Japan will launch a promotional pop-up bar in Tokyo.

    In Ginza, the 78-seat Amazon Bar will run for 10 days from October 20, serving cocktails, sake and wine.

    The online retail giant says some products will be exclusive, and the bar will not have a menu but recommend drinks to customers. It is the company’s first such venture, its previous foray into brick and mortar being bookstores.

    Japan is one of Amazon’s four largest markets and is among the world’s biggest alcohol markets. Beer drinking is fading there, with wine showing the biggest increase in popularity over the past decade, followed by whiskey. The number of drinkers has risen by more than 55 and 34 per cent respectively, according to Japan’s National Tax Agency.

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  • Uniqlo plans denim concept shop for LA

    Uniqlo plans denim concept shop for LA

    Fast Retailing’s Uniqlo says it plans to open a “denim concept shop” in Los Angeles soon.

    “We take so much inspiration from Los Angeles,” says Uniqlo head of US marketing Marisol Tamaro.

    The brand has been increasing its commitment to LA and its latest autumn denim campaign gained its inspiration from LA style. Its Denim Innovation Center opened in the city in November last year as a hub for both Uniqlo and J Brand denim creation and manufacturing. There are also innovation centres in Paris, Shanghai, New York and Tokyo.

    Tamaro says the concept shop will mostly stock denim but also feature complementary clothes. The shop will also carry J Brand as well as collaborations from local artists and designers.

    The denim concept shop will be Uniqlo’s eighth store in Los Angeles and the 47th in the US.

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  • Lawson Japan expecting profit turnaround

    Lawson Japan expecting profit turnaround

    Japanese convenience store chain Lawson is expecting a 4 per cent growth in net profit for its half-year to August, defying a projected 7 per cent decline.

    Lawson Japan attributes the swing to strong sales of salads and other private-label items. Lower costs for store closings also appear to have helped.

    The Tokyo-based retailer says it expects to report a group net profit of around ¥23.5 billion (US$208 million) instead of the ¥21 billion it forecast in July.

    Gross operating revenue is likely to rise 7 per cent to nearly ¥330 billion. The operating profit is predicted to ease 3 per cent at nearly ¥39 billion. Lawson had projected a 6 per cent drop.

    In-house products, which have higher profit margins, have helped boost revenue. Lawson sold out all 2.5 million servings of a cream roll cake in just two weeks, part of a new line of sweets introduced in June.

    The chain also found success with its salad offerings, which it increased from 16 to 26 in response to consumer health consciousness.

    Same-store sales rose 1 per cent on the year during the half. Meanwhile, the chain closed about 150 locations, a third fewer than in the year-earlier period.

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  • Honda to cut Japanese production by a quarter as domestic sales stagnate

    Honda to cut Japanese production by a quarter as domestic sales stagnate

    Honda Motor plans to end production at its Sayama plant in Japan by 2022, cutting domestic capacity by around 24 percent as it shifts focus to electric cars (EVs) and other new technologies.

    The automaker has seen stagnant domestic sales and said on Wednesday it was streamlining its Japanese operations as it takes a more nimble approach to development and manufacturing in the face of fierce competition from carmakers and technology companies to make EVs and self-driving cars.

    “As we focus more on adopting electrification and other new technologies, we want to hone our vehicle manufacturing expertise in Japan and expand it globally,” CEO Takahiro Hachigo told a press conference.

    Hachigo has been trying to revive a culture of innovation at Japan’s No. 3 automaker, after a number of major product recalls in recent years as well as lackluster product offerings, partly because it focused so much on increasing volumes and profit.

    Honda said it would end production at the ageing Sayama plant in Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo, consolidating output at its Yorii plant in the same prefecture by the end of the 2022 financial year. Most workers currently at Sayama would be transferred to the Yorii facility, it said.

    The move would cut overall domestic annual production capacity to around 810,000 units, the same as Honda’s current output levels, which are around 76 percent of its current production capacity of 1.06 million vehicles.

    “Domestic sales haven’t increased as much as we were expecting and it has become difficult to boost exports,” Hachigo said.

    Following consolidation, Honda said the Yorii plant will produce EVs and serve as a major center for developing manufacturing technology for electric cars. It will also produce other vehicles including larger-sized global models.

    While the automaker cuts capacity at home, it plans to open a new plant by 2019 in China, where it has seen explosive growth. Overall, global annual production would remain largely unchanged at around 5.06 million units, it said.

    Honda has struggled to expand sales at home in the past few years, facing stiff competition from popular offerings including Toyota Motor Corp’s (7203.T) Prius gasoline hybrid and Nissan Motor Co.’s (7201.T), Note compact hatchback.

    In the year ended March, it sold 668,000 units domestically, almost the same as in the previous year.

    With an annual production capacity of 250,000 units, the Sayama plant opened in 1964 and is one of Honda’s oldest plants, producing the Accord sedan, the CR-V SUV crossover and other models.

    The Yorii plant began production in 2013 and also has an annual production capacity of 250,000 units. Its output includes the Fit compact hatchback and the Civic sedan.

    Hachigo also said he was confident Honda was following proper procedures for final vehicle inspection for the Japanese market.

    He said the company was complying with a request from Japan’s transport ministry for inspection records after Nissan said on Monday it would recall 1.2 million vehicles due to procedural irregularities with its final inspection processes.

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  • Sales heat up for Uniqlo Japan

    Sales heat up for Uniqlo Japan

    Cool weather and strong advertising campaigns helped boost sales for Uniqlo Japan last month.

    It says same-store sales, including online sales, increased by 6.3 per cent year on year, while sales at its own stores grew by 5.5 per cent. Total sales increased by 6.9 per cent, says the Fast Retailing Group subsidiary.

    During the month, Uniqlo Japan opened four stores and closed two. It also opened its first store in Spain, Uniqlo Passeig de Gracia Store in Barcelona.

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  • Uniqlo’s Hana Tajima collection displayed at Museum of Modern Art

    Uniqlo’s Hana Tajima collection displayed at Museum of Modern Art

    Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo’s Hana Tajima range is being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

    The exhibit, “Items: Is Fashion Modern?”, is the first that MoMA has  dedicated solely to fashion design since 1944, and highlights 111 influential garments and accessories that have had a profound effect on the world over the last century.

    The items that were chosen by the Museum include the Hana Tajima for Uniqlo AIRism Printed Stole and Hana Tajima for Uniqlo AIRism Inner Hijab. Both were selected for the exhibition’s modesty-themed section  entitled “Emancipation/Modesty/Rebellion”.

    The hijab items employ AIRism – a unique, smooth texture, breathable fabric with cooling properties to enhance comfort.

    The partnership between Uniqlo and New York-based, British-born designer Tajima first appeared in the company’s Fall/Winter 2015 line in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. Following its success, the collection later appeared in the US, the UK, and Philippines for Spring/Summer 2016 and now in 15 countries.

    According to the retailer, the purpose of the partnership is reflective of Uniqlo’s commitment to offer apparel that complements diverse lifestyles and cultural settings.

    It added the collection is intended for women who seek comfortable clothing that is not too tight and versatile enough to appeal to all women of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race or religious belief.

    “Hana was a clear choice of partners when we set out to create this collection, as we have a shared aesthetic and a similar approach to design,” stated Shu Hung, Global creative director, Brand Experience and Special Projects at Uniqlo. “With Hana, we have achieved distinctive collections that combine her creativity with our commitment to high-quality, advanced materials that provide the best experience for our customers who seek modest wear.”

    The exhibit is open to the public from October 1, 2017 to January 28, 2018.

  • Genki Sushi owner buying into rival

    Genki Sushi owner buying into rival

    hinmei, which owns Japanese restaurant chain Genki Sushi, will buy a one-third stake in bigger rival Sushiro Global Holdings from European private equity firm Permira.

    Permira has agreed to sell its stake in Sushiro Global, which it bought from Japanese private equity firm Unison Capital in 2012, to Shinmei.

    Permira, which paid about ¥80 billion (US$708.5 million) for Sushiro, boosted the value of the company by cutting costs on fish ingredients by using its global network.

    The market for Japan’s conveyor-belt sushi market is expected to grow by about 25 per cent to ¥625 billion this year from ¥500 billion in 2012, according to research firm Fuji Keizai.

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  • Panasonic to launch new auto battery line at ex-TV screen plant in Japan

    Panasonic to launch new auto battery line at ex-TV screen plant in Japan

    Japan’s Panasonic said on Friday it will start producing automotive batteries at its former television screen plant in Japan, accelerating its battery drive to meet anticipated demand for electric vehicles.

    Panasonic, the exclusive battery cell supplier for Tesla’s mass-market Model 3, is reinventing itself as a provider of advanced auto parts to escape the price competition of smartphones and other lower-margin consumer products.

    The new battery production will start at its LCD plant in Himeji, western Japan, in the financial year from April 2019, using space left vacant after it closed its unprofitable TV screen manufacturing business last year.

    The company declined to comment on the size of new investment or the production capacity of the new line.

    The Himeji plant currently produces screens for vehicle dashboards and medical equipment, but output has dropped significantly after it exited TV screen production.

    Panasonic sees batteries as a key driver for its plan to nearly double its automotive business revenue to 2.5 trillion yen ($22 billion) in the year through March 2022.

    Already one of the leading suppliers of automotive lithium ion batteries, it currently has five production sites in Japan.

    It started mass production of battery cells at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada earlier this year and plans to follow suit at a new plant in Dalian, China.

  • SoftBank, ZTE trial TDD Massive MIMO

    SoftBank, ZTE trial TDD Massive MIMO

    Japan’s SoftBank and ZTE have achieved a peak data rate of 956Mbps during a trial of TDD Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology on a commercial network.

    The trial in Nagasaki involved 24 terminals simultaneously downloading FTP data at the 956Mbps rate over 20MHz of bandwidth.

    ZTE’s core space division multiplexing technology means that each user on a pre5G TDD Massive MIMO network exclusively occupies 20MHz spectrum resources on a single carrier.

    In commercial networks the average user data rate reaches 40Mbps or above, and the cell spectrum efficiency is improved by 7.7 times compared with that of traditional LTE cells, ZTE said.

    The trial marked the first practical test for ZTE’s Pre5G TDD Massive MIMO technology on a commercial network, and follows verification tests in China achieving a data rate of 1.1Gbps in a 24-stream field test.

    SoftBank is ZTE’s first pilot partner for the Smart Life project, which involves planning product solutions for pre5G and early 5G networks. The companies have been conducting R&D on improvement of spectrum efficiency, 4G/5G network integration mobile bandwidth, IoT and Internet of Vehicles technologies.

    “ZTE is the first partner to support Massive MIMO 24 streams in the commercial network at a throughput of close to 956Mbps on a single carrier,” SoftBank network department director Takeshi Noda said.

    “We will work together to build a network that makes the future life of SoftBank’s users smarter and more intelligent.”

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