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Tag: Japan

  • Laguarda.Low Architects Designs Grandberry Lifestyle Centre in Machida

    Laguarda.Low Architects Designs Grandberry Lifestyle Centre in Machida

    New York City-based architecture and urban planning firm, LAGUARDA.LOW ARCHITECTS, has unveiled the design for Grandberry Center, a new 750,000-square-foot transit-oriented development in Machida, Tokyo. Set on the city’s Tokyu Denen-tonshi train line, Laguarda.Low designed Grandberry Center to be the center of commerce and activity for Machida – a city in the west section of the Tokyo Metropolis.

    The new Grandberry Center development replaces an existing mall and train station and creates a modern, landscaped shopping village with a direct connection to the newly-designed Tsuruma Park. The new train depot, with its undulating roof, tiered gardens, and waterfall create a dramaticsense of arrival. From the platform, a grand stair leads visitors to the multi-level shopping center experience, inclusive of a local food market, retail stores and a cinema. The retail village is organized as a simple loop, referencing a European town typology, with parking positioned in the center. Throughout the loop, visitors traverse a series of open and covered plazas that provide dynamic spaces for socializing, leisure and entertainment.

    The buildings are composed of a mix of stone, steel, wood, glass and green walls. The form, scale, and materiality of the buildings were designed to create variation within the development and to blend with the surrounding residential neighborhood.

    “Grandberry Center provides a warm and modern ambience with sophisticated design that enlivens the surrounding neighborhood for local residents and visitors,” said Pablo Laguarda, Principal of LAGUARDA.LOW. “Its location as an entertainment and lifestyle destination is unique and we look forward to showcasing this development to the Machida community.”

    Situated amidst Tsuruma Park, Laguarda.Low’s design removes an existing street to unify Grandberry Center with nature.  To combine the two parcels, a new park entrance transforms the natural slope in grade into a dramatic stair, with the ground rising to create a green roof for a new restaurant at the threshold of the park. The firm also designed the main promenade, which features lush Cherry Blossom trees, and a designed new landscape plan with designated spaces for a skate park, urban farm, sculpture garden, children’s playground, expansive lawn and library.

    Construction of Grandberry Center will begin in May 2017, with an estimated completion of September 2019.  Grandberry Center is expected to officially open in November 2019. Granberry is one of seven Laguarda.Low-designed developments in Japan. Most recently, the firm was the silver award winner of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) New Development category for their design of AEON Mall Okinawa Rycom, the largest multi-story commercial facility in Western Japan.

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  • Zoff to open flagship in Orchard Central

    Zoff to open flagship in Orchard Central

    Japanese eyewear chain Zoff is expanding into Southeast Asia with a flagship outlet at Orchard Central in Singapore.

    Zoff, known for consistently introducing two collections every month, has more than 200 stores in Japan and China. Its Singapore flagship store at Orchard Central will open on April 7 with a traditional lion-dance performance plus a performance by dance duo Scrach Marcs.

    Zoff president/CEO/COO Teruhiro Ueno will attend the opening and is expected to speak about the company’s expansion plans.

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  • Harajuku’s Anywhere Door offers Coneshots

    Harajuku’s Anywhere Door offers Coneshots

    Japanese accessories retailer Dot Co has branched into cafes, launching Anywhere Door, taking the name from the fictional transportation device in the Doraemon cartoon series.

    But this is not a transportation portal – it is a concept built around the Coneshot, an ice-cream cone cup with chocolate frosting and containing coffee, tea or orange juice with extras and toppings.

    According to the website, fillings can also include ice cream and whisky.

    Cone Shot shop Tokyo 2

    If comes from the waffle shot – espresso coffee in a chocolate-coated waffle cone – pioneered by such Los Angeles coffee shops as Alfred Coffee & Kitchen and Zia Valentina a few years ago.

    In Tokyo’s Harajuku district, Anywhere Door takes a sweeter approach involving chocolate cream, marshmallows and mascarpone. A creamy tiramisu cone filling is also offered with matcha or roasted tea.

    As well as coffee variations, Coneshot options include matcha and fruit combinations.

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  • Umami Burger Japan launches in Tokyo

    Umami Burger Japan launches in Tokyo

    American-style dining has again crossed the Pacific, with the latest offering, Umami Burger Japan, having a distinct local slant.

    While conceived in the US, the fast-food chain takes its names from the Japanese concept of umami, one of the basic tastes as distinct from sweet, salty, bitter and sour.

    It follows such brands as Carl’s Jr, Shake Shack and Taco Bell to Japan, and on its opening day in Tokyo drew a queue of more than 100 people. It is just a few minutes’ walk from Omotesando Station.

    Umami Burger Japan - Aoyama Tokyo

    Rocket News 24 sent in writer PK to check out the store on opening day. Umami Burger dates back to 2009 has has been included in Time Magazine’s list of 17 “most influential” burgers. While he arrived an hour before the 11am opening time, already more than 50 people were lined up. By the time the doors opened, the queue had doubled in size.

    Umami Burger Japan - Aoyama Tokyo.1

    PK says he was finally seated around noon, and to gain a more rounded perspective, ordered two burgers – the namesake umami burger and the Japan-original teriyaki burger at ¥1380 (US$12.50) each, and a side order of truffle fries for ¥800.

    With its house ketchup, roasted tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms and crispy Parmesan cheese chip, plus a medium-rare beef patty, PK writes that the umami burger tickled his taste buds. “Each flavour complemented the others for an overall perfect combination.”

    The teriyaki burger came topped with red onions, perilla leaves, fried lotus root, cabbage and a wasabi aioli sauce.

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  • Sales slide continues for Japanese retailers

    Sales slide continues for Japanese retailers

    The supermarket and department-store sales slide in Japan continued last month, say industry bodies.

    There was little impact yet from the Premium Friday campaign launched last month by the government and business community to encourage people to spend more with Japanese retailers by letting workers finish work early on the last Friday of every month, reports Japan Today.

    Supermarket sales fell 3.3 per cent from a year earlier, down for the third straight month. This is partly because of weak sales of clothing and household products, says the Japan Chain Stores Association. Overall sales at 9464 supermarkets run by 57 companies totalled ¥961.62 billion (US$872.9 billion).

    While sales of clothing dropped 9 per cent, household products including pharmaceuticals and furniture declined 4 per cent, says the association.

    Department-store sales slid 1.7 per cent, falling for the 12th consecutive month, says the Japan Department Stores Association. Overall sales at 234 stores run by 81 companies totalled ¥433.67 billion.

    Sales of clothing dropped 4.5 per cent, while sales of household items and food fell 8.6 and 0.8 per cent respectively, says the association.

    Both associations say the month’s weak retail sales were also affected by one less trading day in February last year, a leap year.

    While the Premium Friday campaign helped push up sales at department stores in large cities, it had little impact on supermarket sales, the associations say.

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  • Bad record for Bonjour Holdings

    Bad record for Bonjour Holdings

    Tumbling turnover and gross profit margin have flipped an operating profit to a loss for beauty and healthcare retailer Bonjour Holdings.

    Its turnover for last year fell 12.8 per cent to HK$1.995 billion (US$256.8 million), while its gross profit margin dropped from 41.8 to 38.1 per cent. This gave the group a loss of HK$77.9 million compared to a profit of HK$50.7 million in 2015.

    During the year, the group rationalised its retail network from 47 to 42 outlets.

    Hong Kong and Macau retail sales fell for the second straight year, the company’s audited results show.

    Same-store sales fell 10.1 per cent despite the average sales value per transaction for mainland tourists rising by 7 per cent. However, the total number of mainland customers dropped by double digits last year. The company says the drop in its total number of customers contributed about 9 per cent of the overall retail decline during the year.

    Bonjour says an enormous demand continued for Korean beauty and skincare products in Hong Kong’s retail market. Because of this, the group has formed dedicated procurement team to explore this trend.

    During the year, Bonjour continued to introduce a variety of mass Korean beauty products to keep the market competitive and to offset the negative impacts of the falling sales of Western and Japanese premium brands.

    Meanwhile, the group has been increasing awareness of its brand through online platforms. It partnered with Tmall and WeChat during the year to broaden its touch points with target consumers.

    “Additionally, with the rapid rise of live-streaming and photo-sharing apps, video and photo content and key opinion leaders (KOL), partnerships has taken up a significant role in our marketing campaigns,” says Bonjour. “Online image sharing has become a critical element for us to communicate with our target consumers.”

    Delivery service

    The group partnered with Alipay in two one-day events during the year, “2016 Carnival All the Way” and “Double Eleven”. The group also cooperated with China Post Cross-border eCommerce (CPCBE) to launch the cross-border shopping platform www.bonjourO2O.com (BonjourO2O). With its direct delivery service, customers can buy overseas items not available in Bonjour’s mainland stores.

    Online retail sales last year reached HK$40.1 million, up 7.4 per cent from 2015.

    At the end of the year, the group had 42 stores in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou. During the year, sales continued to decline in the face of “sky-high” rents. While rents have been adjusting over the past two years, the reduction has not been fully reflected in the company’s income statements as it is usually locked into leases with a three-year term. The company is able to renew only about a third of its agreements each year.

    “We believe that stabilising sales along with falling rents should help improve our profitability gradually,” says the group.

    Bonjour currently distributes 180 international cosmetic, skincare and healthcare products including Dr Schafter, Suisse Reborn, WowWow and Yumei. During the year the company adjusted the product mix, increasing international parallel-import products and mid-to-lower-priced trendy products while cutting back on higher-priced exclusive products.

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  • Takashimaya Duty Free Shop opening soon

    Takashimaya Duty Free Shop opening soon

    Takashimaya Duty Free Shop, Tokyo’s latest downtown duty-free store, will open late next month.

    The 2800 sqm retail outlet is a JV between department store company Takashimaya, travel retailer ANA Trading and Hotel Shilla. It will be on the 11th floor of the new Takashimaya Times Square development, in the Shinjuku area.

    Other major downtown duty-free projects scheduled to open in Tokyo include Japan Duty Free Ginza and Lotte Duty Free Tokyo Ginza.

    Takashimaya Duty Free Shop is directly connected to Shinjuku Station and to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, allowing easy access to Tokyo’s airports.

    A spokesperson for The Shilla Duty Free says Japanese cosmetics will be a key focus of the store. There will also be a tax-free zone for Japanese brands including cosmetics, food/confectionery, souvenirs, fashion and electronics.

    Goods bought at downtown duty-free stores must be collected at Narita or Haneda airport, while tax-free Japanese-made items can be collected in the stores.
    Chinese group tours will be a target audience, with Takashimaya Duty Free establishing infrastructure such as bus parking spaces, and developing offers to appeal to such visitors.

    A&S Takashimaya Duty Free Company was established last June, with Takashimaya holding a 60 per cent stake, with ANA Trading and Shilla each holding 20 per cent.

    Takashimaya Times Square includes a Takashimaya department store, brands like Nitori, Tokyo Hands and Uniqlo, as well as restaurants and a spa avenue.

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  • Amazon Japan adopts UnionPay to attract Chinese shoppers

    Amazon Japan adopts UnionPay to attract Chinese shoppers

    Amazon.com Inc.’s website in Japan will start accepting UnionPay cards, as the web retailer steps up efforts to sell more merchandise to Chinese shoppers across Asia.

    China UnionPay Co., with more than 6 billion cards in circulation, is now a key rival to Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and other issuers and has become an important way for retailers around the globe to attract Chinese tourists and consumers. UnionPay can now be used across Amazon Japan’s website from Wednesday, the Seattle-based company said.

    Amazon, which debuted in Japan in 2000, rolled out a Simplified Chinese-language version of its website last year to cater to booming demand by shoppers seeking everything from Japanese books and music to cosmetics and baby products. The number of online customers from the mainland rose fivefold since early 2016, according to Jasper Cheung, president of Amazon Japan. Amazon’s revenue in the country rose 31 percent to $10.8 billion in 2016.

    “We continue to drive more selection available for export, and we’ve increased it by 50 percent,” Cheung said. “The biggest-selling categories have been books, health and beauty, baby products and kitchen appliances.”

    Amazon Japan is catering to an emerging class of consumers who are willing to shop online within Asia, and offers reduced shipping rates to homes and businesses in mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. E-commerce demand from China to Japan alone is projected to almost triple to 2.34 trillion yen ($22.5 billion) in 2019, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

    Chinese tourists, now a constant presence in Tokyo’s stores, often stock up on authentic Made-in-Japan products during their visits to the archipelago. The number of Chinese tourists in Japan rose 28 percent last year to 6.4 million visitors.

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  • Japan duty-free on arrival shops planned

    Japan duty-free on arrival shops planned

    With upcoming tax reforms, Japan duty-free on arrival stores could soon be opened.

    A Narita International Airport Corporation official says arrival channels would be permitted as part of the update of tax regulations, says Narita International Airport Corporation retail official Hiroomi Eguchi.

    He says details still need to be worked out with Customs and Immigration at the airport, and the management team is hopeful Narita will be first to open arrivals duty-free stores in Japan, which could happen “within months”.
    Liquor, tobacco and cosmetics are likely to be key categories, with inbound Japanese the main target audience.

    “It could appeal to returning Japanese who do not want to carry bottles of liquor around on their trip, and also be a convenient last-minute shopping option,” says the airport company.

    The tax change is also seen as a big boost in particular for the newly privatised Kansai and Sendai International Airports.

  • Concept store Uniqlo Move opens in Tokyo

    Concept store Uniqlo Move opens in Tokyo

    A lifestyle-focussed concept store, Uniqlo Move, has been launched in Tokyo by the Japanese fashion basics retailer.

    It features its LifeWear range of activewear in a space on the eighth floor of Shinjuku Takashimaya department store.

    Sections of the 75 sqm store will be arranged according to movement, ranging from everyday life to exercise. Not only will the store offer products and visuals different to Uniqlo stores, but it will also act as an information hub for tips on making everyday life “more active and comfortable”, says the retailer.

    Dubbed “The Science of Lifewear” in its entirety, the brand’s first global campaign launched last year, being described by creative director John Jay at Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing as “the ongoing innovation of simplicity”.

    As the range was developed last year, mountaineer Marin Minayama has appointed the brand’s first female ambassador.

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  • Amazon Japan is second biggest foreign market after Germany

    Amazon Japan is second biggest foreign market after Germany

    Online retail giant Amazon has revealed Germany was its biggest market outside the U.S. in 2016. However, Japan, coming in second for total country sales, experienced the most percentage growth last year, up double-digits on the back of heavy investment in distribution and the increase of China-focused tactics.

    On a US dollar basis, Amazon Japan sales leapt 30% in 2016 to US$10.7 billion (¥1.16 trillion). Amazon Germany gained just under 20% and the UK by 5.6%. US sales rose 28%. As a result Japan has moved ahead of the UK to become the U.S. giant’s second biggest overseas market.

    It’s also the first time a foreign firm has surpassed ¥1 trillion in Japan, making Amazon the most successful international retailer to operate in the archipelago nation.

    While Yahoo and Rakuten serve as rival platforms in the local market, Amazon Japan’s strong investment in its own distribution centre network is paying off. Amazon Japan has 12 centres and four Prime Now centres, making it easy for the e-tailer to sell directly via its marketplace vendors.

    Amazon Japan has also managed to poach talent from other consumer goods businesses, since its debut in 2000.

    On a consumer level globally, the Amazon brand sits favourably. Some 67% of Amazon’s sales came from direct sourcing last year and 17% from third party vendors on Amazon Marketplace, according to a recent survey.

    And Amazon is winning across lifestyle and fashion categories.

    “The biggest-selling categories have been books, health and beauty, baby products and kitchen appliances,” Jasper Cheung, president of Amazon Japan, told Bloomberg.

    Cheung was speaking to media as Amazon revealed this week its website in Japan will start accepting UnionPay cards, in an effort to sell more merchandise to Chinese shoppers across Asia. In 2016, Amazon Japan launched a Simplified Chinese-language version of its website, as the volume of mainland Chinese shoppers continues to rise in Japan, up 500%, according to Cheung.

    Meanwhile, e-commerce demand from China to Japan alone is projected to almost triple to 2.34 trillion yen ($22.5 billion) in 2019, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

  • China leads Nike sales growth

    China leads Nike sales growth

    Nike boosted earnings by 20.1 per cent in its latest quarter, on sales up a much more modest 5 per cent.

    While the bottom line was impressive – aided by a substantial reduction in costs – the top line growth trailed Adidas’ impressive 18 per cent growth achieved in 2016.

    In the three months to February 28, Nike sales totalled US$8.4 billion, up 7 per cent on a currency-neutral basis. Of that, the Nike brand accounted for $7.9 billion, driven by 15 per cent growth in Greater China, 10 per cent in Western Europe, 12 per cent in emerging markets and 8 per cent in Japan.

    Sales at Converse were up 3 per cent to $498 million.

    “The power of Nike’s diverse, global portfolio delivered another solid quarter of growth and profitability,” said Mark Parker, chairman, president and CEO of Nike.

    “To expand our leadership and ignite Nike’s next phase of growth, we’re delivering a relentless flow of innovation through performance and style, increasing speed throughout the business and creating more direct connections with consumers leveraging digital and membership.”

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  • Anya Hindmarch teams with Smiley Company

    Anya Hindmarch teams with Smiley Company

    English fashion accessories designer Anya Hindmarch has launched a marketing campaign for its partnership with the Smiley Company.

    The upscale designer’s global retail activation aims at “making the world a happier place”. It is also a social-media engagement mechanism with a call to action to “share your #smiley selfie @anyahindmarch” via a range of giant Smiley icons in window displays and on the shop floor.

    The window elements feature all-over Smiley print decals and vinyls across Hindmarch’s retail portfolio, includes stores in Aoyama in Tokyo and Lee Gardens in Hong Kong.

    “It’s great to see Anya Hindmarch spreading happiness at some of the world’s most luxurious shopping areas with her new Smiley window campaign,” says Smiley CEO Nicolas Loufrani.

    “Smiley has never been so big, so obvious, so fun and yet so chic. There is no better way to celebrate our 45th anniversary.”

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  • Matsuya opens its own online store in China

    Matsuya opens its own online store in China

    Luxury Japanese department store Matsuya has opened its own online store in China.

    The company plans to use the store to lure repeat business from Chinese shoppers who have visited its Ginza flagship while on vacation, once they return home.

    Inbound Chinese travellers account for about 20 per cent of Matsuya’s store sales.

    Prior to opening its own site Matsuya had a presence on online malls, but after partnering with a local Chinese firm, the Japanese retailer is confident it can better tailor its offer and marketing to mainland Chinese.

    Stock will be shipped from Japan rather than from a local warehouse and the site will be backed by an investment in advertising and promotional marketing.

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  • Uniqlo targets Zara in faster fashion move

    Uniqlo targets Zara in faster fashion move

    From fast fashion to faster fashion: speed is seen as the key by Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing in its bid to outrace apparel powerhouse Zara.

    Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai says Fast Retailing plans to shorten the time it takes from design to delivery to about 13 days, roughly the same as Zara, owned by clothes retailer Inditex.

    He says the company’s new design and delivery centre in Tokyo will also help Uniqlo expand direct-to-consumer, custom-clothing sales and improve the efficiency of its same-day delivery in the city.
    “We need to be fast,” he says. “We need to deliver products customers want quickly.”

    Japan’s biggest clothing retailer aims to increase total revenue by nearly 70 per cent to ¥3 trillion (US$26 billion) in the fiscal year ending August 2021. While that may still not be enough to overtake Inditex, which reported sales of $25 billion last year, Yanai says Fast Retailing’s focus on clothes that meet consumers’ daily needs will help propel its growth.

    “Zara sells fashion rather than catering to customers’ needs,” he says. “We will sell products that are rooted in people’s day-to-day lives, and we do so based on what we hear from customers.”

    Overseas markets, notably in Asia, will grow to contribute about two-thirds of Fast Retailing’s revenue in the next four years, up from about half currently. Uniqlo will open 100 stores in China and another 100 in Southeast Asia annually, says Yanai.

    Concentration for speed

    The company’s new complex, in the Ariake district along Tokyo’s waterfront, houses more than 1000 employees, including designers and marketing teams, and also has a warehouse and delivery department. Yanai says that concentrating resources into one location will help speed processes.

    “The ability to provide anybody, anywhere, anytime with the ultimate, high-quality day-to-day clothing will set us apart,” he says. “We want to deliver products that customers want quickly. That’s why it’s Fast Retailing.”

    After revenue growth of more than 20 per cent for three straight years, Uniqlo sales took a hit in the latest fiscal year. The growth rate slowed to 6 per cent after the brand raised prices because of higher raw-material costs.

    Following the slowdown, the company did a U-turn on its pricing strategy, saying it was committed to delivering the lowest price possible. However, it had to roll back its 2021 revenue target to ¥3 trillion from ¥5 trillion.