Tag - retailers

 
 

RETAILERS

Funding for the proposed buyout of Japan's Seven & i Holdings by its founding family will be finalized by the end of December, sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2024
Seven & I buyout funding to be finalized by next month, sources say
The retailer is caught in a three-way tug-of-war between a foreign suitor, its founding family and company management.
Nojima will purchase about 93% of Vaio's outstanding shares from investment fund Japan Industrial Partners.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2024
Nojima to acquire PC company Vaio for ¥11.2 billion
Sony will continue to hold a 4.7% stake in Vaio.
Shares in retailers may rise after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba formed a minority government that may cut taxes to lure cooperation from opposition parties.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
Minority government in Japan can help retail stocks and utilities
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may cut taxes to keep smaller parties on side — increasing workers’ disposable income.
Seven & I Holdings' 46% stake in Seven Bank could raise around ¥30 billion by the end of the current fiscal year in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2024
Seven & I is said to plan reducing stake in banking unit to 38%
The retailer’s 46% stake in Seven Bank could raise around ¥30 billion by the end of the current fiscal year in February.
As part of the fukubukuro lineup for the New Year shopping season, Takashimaya will offer a ¥4.05 million luxury cruise ship tour to South Korea's Jeju Island and other locations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2024
2025 New Year lucky bags to offer extraordinary experiences
Customers are seeking "a break from their daily lives," according to one department store official.
A worker clears away snow as last-minute grocery shoppers leave a Market Basket supermarket during a fast-moving winter storm in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Feb. 13.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 5, 2024
In a changing climate, retailers turn to weather data predictions
Weather data, once used strictly for inventory planning, is now helping retailers localize advertising and decide when to discount seasonal items such as sweaters.
Alimentation Couche-Tard and Seven & I Holdings directly compete in thousands of locations across the United States, with more than 45% of Circle Ks within two miles of a 7-Eleven or related store.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2024
Couche-Tard’s 7-Eleven overlaps to face skeptical U.S. FTC review
More than 45% of Circle Ks are within two miles of a 7-Eleven or related store.
The success of Seven & I's major restructuring plan depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan, and improve profit margins overseas, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2024
7-Eleven's turnaround plan requires heavy lifting to stop takeover bid
Much depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan and improve profit margins overseas.
Seven & I Holdings essentially unveiled a plan to split in two.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024
Seven & I to split in two to fend off Couche-Tard takeover bid
The big question is if the move will be enough to win over any investors warming to Couche-Tard’s approach.
Seven & I had been under pressure from activists and other investors for years to narrow its focus on its crown jewel: 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024
Seven & I to embrace 7-Eleven name as it sheds noncore businesses
The plans accelerate restructuring efforts in the face of an unsolicited ¥7 trillion takeover proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Japan saw the highest number of bankruptcies since 2013 in the six months through September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 8, 2024
Japan records highest number of bankruptcies in a decade as costs rise
The bankruptcies partly reflect the impact of higher prices, while a record 163 firms cited labor shortages as a reason for their struggles.
A supermarket in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, operated by Aeon. Shares of Aeon have extended their gains to 25% this year and reached a record high this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024
Seven & I proposal fuels rally in Japanese retailers like Aeon
An increase in Japan’s consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Asia’s second-biggest gross economy, is also supporting retailers.
A 7-Eleven convenience store, operated by Seven & i Holdings Co., at the company's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2024
Couche-Tard seeks pension fund backing for Seven & I bid
The retailer is reaching out to some of Canada’s largest pension funds to gauge their interest in providing equity, sources said.
A tourist picks up an aloha shirt at the Samurai Aloha store at Narita Airport in June.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 12, 2024
Aloha shirts made from recycled kimono in Tohoku prove to be huge hit
The shirts, called Samurai Aloha, were launched in the hopes of helping the area recover from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
President Shinji Kaneko (left) and other executives of Keikyu Department Store bow in apology during a news conference in Yokohama on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2024
Grilled eel leaves one dead and 140 sick in Japan
The products included eel cooked in the traditional kabayaki style
An employee checks on items at a Komehyo store in Nagoya.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2024
Thrift store operator Komehyo pushing to expand business overseas
The company hopes to become the world's top retailer of secondhand luxury brand items by tripling its overseas sales in four years.
Circulators on display at a Bic Camera store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district on June 26
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024
Japan companies beat drum for heat-beating goods
Sales of air conditioners, fans, and circulators are rising with the mercury, as high electricity prices make energy-saving products increasingly popular.
An Aeon store in Yokohama in 2022. Aeon currently employs about 1,500 specified skilled workers group-wide.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2024
Aeon to ramp up hiring of foreign workers under specified skills visa framework
The retail giant is planning to employ 4,000 foreign workers with specified skilled worker visas by 2030 amid a labor shortage.
Travelers in front of a Suntory duty-free shop at Kansai International Airport in December
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2024
Duty-free sales at Japan's department stores tripled in May
Record sales were achieved with the help of a significant influx of Chinese tourists and the yen’s weakness.
The iAEON app allows users to view their shopping history and save e-receipts on their smartphones to facilitate returns and act as proof of purchases.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2024
Aeon to roll out e-receipts nationwide
Customers can opt for e-receipts instead of paper ones when shopping by using the group’s iAEON app at participating stores.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?