Retailing in Japan
Euromonitor International's Retailing in Japan report offers insight into key trends and developments affecting the industry. The report examines all retail channels to provide sector insight. Channels include department stores, food retailers, health and beauty retailers, clothing and footwear retailers, home furniture and household goods retailers, durable goods retailers, and leisure and personal goods retailers. There are profiles of leading retailers, with analysis of their performance and the challenges they face. There is also analysis of alternative selling channels (kiosks, homeshopping, internet retailing, service stations, vending and direct selling, as available).
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Chapters: 13 | Tables: 58 | Publication date: Oct 2006
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- Get insight into trends in market performance
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Executive summary
Modest development despite economic challenges in 2005
Despite the prospect of economic recovery, Japanese retailing still faced considerable challenges in 2005. Overall consumer spending remained sluggish, while price deflation continued as competition between retailers intensified. Major retail chains continued to expand by opening new outlets, especially in suburban areas. In their efforts to stay competitive, an increasing number of retailers developed business models that blurred the boundaries between different retail formats. This fuelled competition within and between individual retail channels. Despite these conditions, retailing in Japan still managed to register a slight increase in current value sales in 2005. This was largely due to strong performances by convenience stores, health and beauty retailers and internet retailing. Their positive development demonstrated that, regardless of whether economic conditions are poor or favourable, retailers must constantly adapt to meet the changing needs of consumers. Japan has the second highest GDP in the world, and its retailing market retains much potential, provided that retailers can tap into rapidly changing consumer lifestyles and align their strategies to meet new demands.
Strong convenience stores performance supports the development of grocery retailers
Grocery retailers constituted 32% of total Japanese retailing current value sales in 2005, and its development was driven largely by the strong performance of convenience stores. Convenience stores was one of the few retail channels to benefit from changes in shopping patterns arising from consumer lifestyle and demographic trends during the review period. With their extended opening hours, large numbers of outlets and wide ranges of pre-cooked and ready-to-eat food products, convenience stores chains are greatly appreciated by busy Japanese consumers, for whom convenience is a very important factor in purchasing decisions. Convenience stores continued to thrive in 2005 on the back of expansion by chained players and greater demand for pre-cooked packaged food products. In addition, convenience stores operators were very much to the fore in developing new business models. For example, many players modelled their convenience stores outlets on ¥100 discount stores outlets, which continued to attract consumers despite growing competition from other retail formats.
Meanwhile, grocery retailers also saw a shift away from independent grocers towards chained supermarkets and convenience stores outlets. While supermarkets was particularly affected by intense price competition in 2005, the expansion of chained players meant that supermarkets outlets became more accessible to greater numbers of consumers. Moreover, supermarkets operators were quick to respond to changing consumer needs by offering more convenient pre-cooked food products in smaller packaging sizes, and this also helped them to stay afloat amidst increasing price competition.
Non-grocery retailers benefits from strong parapharmacies/drugstores performance
Non-grocery retailers was badly hit by Japan’s poor economic performance towards the end of the review period. Major non-grocery retailers chains, particularly those in department stores and mass merchandisers, struggled to increase current value sales in the face of sluggish consumer spending. However, non-grocery retailers as a whole still managed to show a slight increase in current value sales in 2005, mainly thanks to strong performances by parapharmacies/drugstores and, to a lesser extent, clothing and footwear retailers. Parapharmacies/drugstores developed positively as major players pursued aggressive expansion strategies. An underlying factor supporting the expansion of parapharmacies/drugstores chains is growing health awareness amongst Japanese consumers, as well as an ageing population. Together, these two factors are fuelling consumer demand for health and beauty related products. While parapharmacies/drugstores was also characterised by fierce price competition in 2005, this was offset somewhat as many players diversified their operations. This trend saw parapharmacies/drugstores outlets encroach onto the territory of other retail formats, most notably supermarkets, by expanding their offerings to include packaged and pre-cooked food products and everyday grocery items.
Clothing and footwear retailers meanwhile benefited from the growing popularity of speciality outlets selling private label products in both lower and higher price segments. Price-conscious consumers were increasingly attracted to clothing and footwear retailers outlets selling low-priced private label products, such as those in the Uniqlo chain. Upmarket multinational chains also found strong support among Japanese consumers, and many took the opportunity to open their own stand-alone outlets outside of traditional locations like shopping malls and department stores outlets.
Non-store retailing shines as consumer lifestyles grow increasingly busy
Non-store retailing was one of the brightest spots within Japanese retailing overall in 2005. Sluggish performances by vending and direct selling were more than offset by strong current value sales growth for internet retailing and homeshopping. Within the latter, greater demand for TV homeshopping services made up for the declining popularity of the mail-order homeshopping format. Internet retailing and homeshopping benefited from the further development of communications infrastructure, most notably the proliferation of broadband internet services, 3G (third-generation) mobile phones and satellite and cable TV. All of this allowed more and more Japanese to do their shopping outside of traditional opening hours, something widely appreciated given the increasingly busy nature of consumer lifestyles.
Forecast performance
With signs of economic recovery on the horizon, Japanese retailing is expected to see a corresponding revival over the forecast period. Internet retailing, convenience stores and parapharmacies/drugstores will continue to be the key drivers of constant value growth overall, though increasing competition within and from other retail formats mean they may not develop as rapidly as was the case over 2000-2005. Another important factor in driving constant value sales will be strategic realignments by retail operators. If successful, merger and acquisition activities could help to revitalise Japanese retailing by creating new business models and niches that appeal to a wider variety of consumers. This will be especially important, as retailers will have difficulties in boosting constant value sales by relying on traditional strategies alone given Japan’s declining population.
Table of contents
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Modest development despite economic challenges in 2005
Strong convenience stores performance supports the development of grocery retailers
Non-grocery retailers benefits from strong parapharmacies/drugstores performance
Non-store retailing shines as consumer lifestyles grow increasingly busy
Forecast performance
2. OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
2.1 GOVERNMENT POLICIES
2.2 LEGISLATION
2.3 OPENING HOURS
2.4 RETAILING LANDSCAPE
Main street versus out of town
Shopping centres and malls
2.5 EMPLOYMENT IN RETAILING
Minimum wage
Table 1 Employment in Retailing: 2000-2005
2.6 CASH AND CARRY/WAREHOUSE CLUBS
Limited presence in Japanese retail environment
3. RETAILING: RETAIL SALES
3.1 MARKET PERFORMANCE
Overview
Key trends
Table 2 Sales in Retailing by Sector: Value 2000-2005
Table 3 Sales in Retailing by Sector: % Value Growth 2000-2005
Table 4 Sales of Grocery vs Non-Grocery Sales in Retailing 2000-2005
4. RETAILING: COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
4.1 LEADING RETAILERS
Slow move towards consolidation continues
Large conglomerates exploit market conditions to retain leading positions
Multinational penetration continues, though mixed retailers players encounter problems
Table 5 Retailing Company Shares: % Value 2004-2005
4.2 RECENT MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
Domestic players pursue acquisition-based expansion strategies
Mergers allow mid-sized retailers to survive in an increasingly competitive environment
Revision of Commercial Code creates opportunities for further merger and acquisition deals
Summary 1 Major Mergers and Acquisitions 2001-2005
4.3 CONCESSIONS
Summary 2 Summary of Leading Retailers and their Concessions 2005
5. PRIVATE LABEL
5.1 RETAILERS AND THEIR STRATEGIES
Strategies
Positioning
Penetration
Summary 3 Selected Retailers and their Private Label Products 2005
6. RETAILING: FORECAST MARKET PERFORMANCE
Overview
Key trends
Table 6 Forecast Sales in Retailing by Sector: Value 2005-2010
Table 7 Forecast Sales in Retailing by Sector: % Value Growth 2005-2010
7. MARKET PERFORMANCE: GROCERY RETAILERS
7.1 OVERVIEW
Key trends and developments
Competitive environment
Forecast performance
Table 8 Grocery Retailers by Sector: Value 2000-2005
Table 9 Grocery Retailers by Sector: Units 2000-2005
Table 10 Grocery Retailers by Sector: Selling Space 2000-2005
Table 11 Grocery Retailers by Sector: % Value Growth 2000-2005
Table 12 Grocery Retailers by Sector: % Unit Growth 2000-2005
Table 13 Grocery Retailers by Sector: % Selling space growth 2000-2005
Table 14 Grocery Retailers Company Shares: % Value 2004-2005
Table 15 Grocery Retailers Brand Shares: % Value 2004-2005
Table 16 Grocery Retailers Forecasts by Sector: Value 2005-2010
Table 17 Grocery Retailers Forecasts by Sector: Units 2005-2010
Table 18 Grocery Retailers Forecasts by Sector: Selling Space 2005-2010
Table 19 Grocery Retailers Forecasts by Sector: % Value Growth 2005-2010
Table 20 Grocery Retailers Forecasts by Sector: % Unit Growth 2005-2010
Table 21 Grocery Retailers Forecasts by Sector: % Selling space growth 2005-2010
7.2 FOCUS SECTOR: CONVENIENCE STORES
Key trends and developments
Competitive environment
Forecast performance
Table 22 Convenience Stores: Value Sales, Outlets and Selling Space 2000-2005
Table 23 Convenience Stores: Value Sales, Outlets and Selling Space: % Growth 2000-2005
Table 24 Convenience Stores Company Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 25 Convenience Stores Brand Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 26 Convenience Stores Company Shares by Outlets 2004-2005
Table 27 Convenience Stores Brand Shares by Outlets 2004-2005
Table 28 Convenience Stores Company Shares by Selling Space 2004-2005
Table 29 Convenience Stores Brand Shares by Selling Space 2004-2005
Table 30 Convenience Stores Forecasts: Value Sales, Outlets and Selling Space 2005-2010
Table 31 Convenience Stores Forecasts: Value Sales, Outlets and Selling Space: % Growth 2005-2010
8. MARKET PERFORMANCE: NON-GROCERY RETAILERS
8.1 OVERVIEW
Key trends and developments
9. NON-STORE RETAILING: VENDING
Key trends and developments
Competitive environment
Forecast performance
Table 32 Vending: Value 2000-2005
Table 33 Vending: % Value Growth 2000-2005
Table 34 Vending Company Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 35 Vending Brand Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 36 Vending Forecasts: Value 2005-2010
Table 37 Vending Forecasts: % Value Growth 2005-2010
10. NON-STORE RETAILING: HOMESHOPPING
Key trends and developments
Competitive environment
Forecast performance
Table 38 Homeshopping: Value 2000-2005
Table 39 Homeshopping: % Value Growth 2000-2005
Table 40 Homeshopping Company Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 41 Homeshopping Brand Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 42 Homeshopping Forecasts: Value 2005-2010
Table 43 Homeshopping Forecasts: % Value Growth 2005-2010
11. NON-STORE RETAILING: INTERNET RETAILING
Key trends and developments
Competitive environment
Forecast performance
Table 44 Internet Retailing: Value 2000-2005
Table 45 Internet Retailing: % Value Growth 2000-2005
Table 46 Internet Retailing Company Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 47 Internet Retailing Brand Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 48 Internet Retailing Forecasts: Value 2005-2010
Table 49 Internet Retailing Forecasts: % Value Growth 2005-2010
12. NON-STORE RETAILING: DIRECT SELLING
Key trends and developments
Competitive environment
Forecast performance
Table 50 Direct Selling: Value 2000-2005
Table 51 Direct Selling: % Value Growth 2000-2005
Table 52 Direct Selling Company Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 53 Direct Selling Brand Shares by Value 2004-2005
Table 54 Direct Selling Forecasts: Value 2005-2010
Table 55 Direct Selling Forecasts: % Value Growth 2005-2010
13. APPENDIX