Shelf Check Japan

From the last issue

“Seven-Eleven quietly moved its premium onigiri line up by ¥20 and shrank the nori. Lawson did not follow. FamilyMart went the other way and held the price while cutting the rice by an amount you can see with the naked eye.

Three companies, three different answers to the same cost problem, all within one month. If you are pricing a product for this market, the interesting part is not the average — it is that there is no average.”

Who this is for

You import Japanese food and need to know what is moving before the category data catches up.
You operate or invest in restaurants and want to see how Japan solves a problem you are facing.
You are evaluating entering Japan and the macro reports have stopped telling you anything new.

Who this is not for

Travellers looking for restaurant recommendations. There are better free sources for that, and I will point you to them.

Who writes this

One person. I go to the store, buy the thing, eat it, and write down what happened. I am a dentist by training, which is where the habit of recording exactly what I observed comes from. I run a small company in Japan whose primary activity is recording restaurants and retail food.

I provide information only. I am not your agent, I do not negotiate on your behalf, I do not advise on tax, and I do not prepare regulatory filings. For those you need a licensed professional in Japan.

Next issue goes out at the end of the month.

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