Retail

Japan's department stores are seeing strong growth in direct sales, catered to wealthy consumers. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
Retail

Japan's young urban rich drive department store sales

Tokyo's Isetan flagship and Osaka's Hankyu report record revenues

23 August 2023
Alibaba recently launched a new platform on Taobao that features livestreams and other content the company hopes will draw potential shoppers. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi)
China tech

Alibaba returns to e-commerce roots as competition heats up

Livestreams and discounts offered on Taobao to lure young shoppers

22 August 2023
Singapore's state investor GIC is betting on Carrefour Brazil Group, the largest food retail group in Brazil.
DealStreetAsia

Singapore's GIC acquires nine Carrefour assets in Brazil

City state's state investor and Barzel Properties team up in $241m purchase

21 August 2023
People wait for bus near a billboard of JD.com advertisement for the "618" shopping festival in Beijing.
Retail

China's JD.com beats analyst estimates with 7.6% sales rise

E-commerce giant's stock price falls on wider China economic concerns

17 August 2023
Pan Pacific International Holdings is eager to increase unit price per customer spending and entice shoppers back into its stores more frequently. (Photo by Makoto Okada)
Retail

Japan's Don Quijote chain cheers record profit, tourists' return

Foreign shoppers help discount retailer hit all-time high for 14th year in row

16 August 2023
A Thai FamilyMart shop in 2020. The Japanese convenience store brand will disappear from the market where it debuted in 1993. (Photo by Marimi Kishimoto)
Retail

Japan's FamilyMart exits Thailand as 7-Eleven's dominance grows

Chain's 200 stores will be converted into Tops Daily small supermarkets

11 August 2023
Lawson offers Uber Eats as a delivery option at more than 4,000 stores in Japan. (Photo by Nikkei)
Retail

Japan convenience chain Lawson offers Uber Eats delivery nationwide

7-Eleven also rolls out deliveries as competition on services heats up

11 August 2023
Used cars at a Bigmotor dealership in Fukuoka, Japan: Many of the chain's stores double as repair shops.
Opinion

Japan's Bigmotor scandal is really a tale of misguided regulation

Body shops aggravated accident damages in lieu of higher insurance commissions

10 August 2023
Kimonos owned by Queen frontman Freddy Mercury hang from the ceiling at Sotheby's, while outfits he wore onstage are displayed below. The items are included in a monthlong exhibition and auction titled "Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own." (Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Arts

Freddie Mercury's love for Japan unveiled in Sotheby's auction

Queen frontman's belongings, including vast Japanese collection, up for sale

8 August 2023
The Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has taken the U.S. by storm by offering bargains on fast fashion and other merchandise.
Retail

Temu fights Amazon, Shein over inflation-weary U.S. shoppers

Chinese-owned marketplace appeals to consumers focused on prices over delivery times

5 August 2023
A departure lobby for domestic flights at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The rebound in travel has exacerbated the labor shortage in Japan's hospitality industry. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Travel & Leisure

Summer travel in Japan seen beating pre-COVID levels

ANA bookings up 3% from 2019, key shinkansen line plans record daily trips

4 August 2023
Bukalapak is part of a wave of technology companies that have emerged in Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy. (Photo by Nana Shibata) 
Retail

Indonesia's Bukalapak records net loss of $26m in first half

E-commerce company slips back into the red after full-year profitability in 2022

31 July 2023
President and CEO of Toridoll Holdings Takaya Awata says investors like the company's strategy of hedging its risks by seeking growth overseas to offset weakness in Japan.
Food & Beverage

Cheap yen benefits U.K. expansion, Marugame Udon owner says

Toridoll Holdings buys London pizza, Greek food chains to offset Japan weakness

31 July 2023
Sluggish consumer demand and entrenched rivals are making it hard for Tencent Holdings' WeChat app to make significant inroads into China's e-commerce market.
Caixin

WeChat's short video e-commerce site struggles to gain traction

Few users stick around long enough to buy livestreamed products

28 July 2023
GoTo CEO Patrick Walujo, right, says the company hopes the "GoPay app will pave the way for users to also become Gojek and Tokopedia customers." (Photo by Nana Shibata)
Technology

Indonesia's GoTo extends e-wallet app to country's 'unbanked'

Superapp and e-commerce company competing with rivals such as Ovo

26 July 2023
Mitsukoshi BGC officially opened in Manila after a soft opening last November. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Retail

Isetan Mitsukoshi launches Japan-themed shopping mall in Manila

Growing Philippine middle class targeted with cultural food and brands

22 July 2023
Japanese retailer Aeon plans to open 30 large stores in Vietnam by 2030.
Finance

Japan's JBIC, Mizuho offer $41m in loans to Aeon's Vietnam unit

Lending to retailer aims to promote Japanese food in Southeast Asian country

18 July 2023
Livestreaming from the Shanghai auto show in April. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi)
China tech

China's new wave of 'live commerce' relying less on influencers

Apple and JD.com turn to employees and virtual hosts for e-commerce livestreams

15 July 2023
Fast Retailing's consolidated sales for the first nine months of its fiscal year came to 2.1 trillion yen, up 21% from the year-earlier total.
Retail

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing posts record 9-month net profit

Japanese retailers cash in on demand in China for clothes, household goods

13 July 2023
Japan's Aeon and other Asian retail companies see promise in Indonesia's young and growing population. (Photo by Nana Shibata)
Retail

Indonesia draws Asian mall operators targeting growth

Despite regulation, Japan's Aeon and others see promise in rising economy

10 July 2023
The robot developed by Telexistence automatically stocks store coolers with beverages. (Photo courtesy of Telexistence)
Technology

SoftBank, Foxconn buy into Japan shelf-stocking robot startup

Telexistence raises $170m as labor-strapped retail industry looks to automation

7 July 2023
Watches sit behind a display case at the Matsuya Ginza department store in Tokyo. Demand for luxury items is expected to grow. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
Retail

Japan businesses chase luxury market with eye on summer bonuses

While some customers spend big, others tighten purse strings amid inflation

5 July 2023
Takashimaya's shares spiked after the department store chain lifted its earnings outlook. (Photo by Makoto Okada)
Markets

Department store Takashimaya's stock surges on Japan tourism boom

Shares jump 8% at one point following earnings forecast upgrade

1 July 2023
Mitsubishi Motors will soon sell the eK X minicar through select Yamada Denki electronics stores. (Photo courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors)
Automobiles

Japan's EV market sees Mitsubishi team up with top electronics store

Exclusive: Deal with Yamada Denki aims to spark wider demand for electric cars

29 June 2023
Joe Tsai's advantage of understanding both the U.S. and China means far less than it did in the early days of Alibaba.
Opinion

Joe Tsai can't take Alibaba back to its golden days

Investors, consumers and regulators are all more demanding now

26 June 2023