Japan news

As growth in the UK convenience channel continues to outpace larger stores, we take a look at small store innovation in Asia and what can be learnt UK convenience is booming as shopper missions evolve Our latest UK channel forecasts predict that the convenience channel is currently worth £35.6 billion and will grow by almost a third in the next five years to £46.2 billion by 2018. Con...

Japanese retailer AEON plans to open six new hypermarkets to further boost its presence in the Malaysian market. New stores to unlock long-term growth prospects for AEON The six new stores are scheduled to open between 2014 and 2016, to be located in secondary towns in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu, The Star newspaper reports. AEON plans to capture growth in the ma...

Japanese convenience retailer Lawson plans expansion in Thailand and scales back plans in Indonesia and China. 5,000 stores within 5 years In an interview with the Bangkok Post, Lawson's CEO Takeshi Niinami reports plans to grow the number of its ASEAN stores from 100 at the end of 2012 to 5,000 by 2018. The retailer looks ahead to greater integration in the ASEAN region, which it belie...

Walmart's net sales increased by 2.4% in the second quarter, with sales in its US stores up 2.1% and up by 2.6% at Sam's Club. International sales were up 2.9%. Consolidated net income attributable to Walmart increased by 1.3%, behind the growth in net sales. In the US, comparable store sales, its key benchmark performance indicator, decreased by 0.3% excluding fuel. The results in brie...

Speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference, Neil Ashe, CEO of Global E-commerce at Walmart, said that the success of its multichannel initiative will be defined at a point when the retailer does not care where its sales come from. “Success is when we don’t care. An ultimate measure of success is when you decide you want to buy something from Walmart, and we don’t care if you buy it on y...

Japanese convenience retailer Lawson has announced its intentions to expand its drugstore network overseas in the US and Europe, Bloomberg News reports. Gaining experience in the health-care category A recent partnership with Japanese pharmacy operator Qol has supported the expansion of a drugstore/convenience format store, featuring healthy food options alongside medication to cater for Ja...

Seven & I Holdings has posted a 9.5% rise in first-quarter profits helped by improved consumer spending in Japan. Continued growth in convenience Both Seven-Eleven Japan and 7-Eleven Inc. continue to deliver strong growth with operating income up 2.7% on last year, the fastest growing segment in the Group . Existing convenience store sales in Japan were up 0.9% in Q1 as a result of s...

Yahoo has launched its latest online service initiative in Hong Kong, selling and delivering premium fresh grocery products. Building on existing one million shopper base South China Morning Post reports the service is the first of its kind within the Yahoo international service and will target existing users of the company's other shopping sites, Yahoo Deals and Yahoo Outlet. The servi...

The final day of IGD’s trip to Bentonville included the Annual General Meeting, the focal point of its shareholders week, with a high energy early morning meeting of 14,000 Walmart associates and shareholders. Senior execs then also gave a Q&A with analysts. Shareholders' Meeting As always, the event included some big name acts including host Hugh Jackman and performances from John Legend, K...

Day two of IGD’s trip to Bentonville included a visit to a Walmart Distribution Centre, a Supercenter and meetings and Q&A with key Execs. Key highlights are as follows: Key Insights from Day Two 1. Distribution Centre Tour DC #6094 is a Regional DC serving 130 Walmart Supercenters, discount stores, Neighborhood Markets and Walmart Express stores in parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma a...