Retail

Japan's discount store chain Don Quijote and convenience store operator FamilyMart hope that by sharing customer data, their marketing efforts will be more effective. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
Retail

Japan's Donki and FamilyMart share data to tailor customer sales

Info of 30m people harnessed for marketing use as critics say privacy an issue

27 April 2023
Senior management at the two companies have agreed to Aeon taking a majority stake in Inageya. Combined, the two will become Japan's largest supermarket chain. (Photo by Shihoko Nakaoka) 
Business deals

Aeon to buy Inageya, to create Japan's largest supermarket

Combined business aims to defray investment, procurement costs

25 April 2023
Tiffany unboxed a new store in Ho Chi Minh City, marking its foray as a direct investor in Vietnam. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Retail

Tiffany enters Vietnam as world's richest man expands LVMH Asia

Crazy rich Asians top sales for French luxury group that also owns Dior, Moet

21 April 2023
Fast Retailing, parent of Uniqlo, says sales in China for the first two months of 2023 hit a record, as it forecasts a 16% rise in full-year revenue. (Photo by Makoto Okada)
Retail

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing revises outlook up after China pop

Japanese casual clothier raises annual revenue forecast to $20bn

13 April 2023
Hugo Boss is renewing its push into China with a focus on sustainable materials. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Consumer

L'Oreal, Hugo Boss among luxury brands refocusing on China

Country poised to become world's top high-end consumer market in 2025

13 April 2023
Apple will open at this location in Mumbai on April 18, and another in New Delhi on April 20, both in upscale shopping malls. (Photo by Ryosuke Hanada)
Retail

Apple's first India store to launch Tuesday

CEO Tim Cook to visit, eyeing meeting with Modi amid production shift

13 April 2023
People walk past booths at the third China International Consumer Products Expo, in Haikou, Hainan province, China April 11, 2023. 
Retail

China bets on biggest consumer expo to jolt anemic spending

Hainan island plays host as it challenges Hong Kong for luxury shopping crown

12 April 2023
Japanese department stores have high expectations for spending by a potential influx of Chinese visitors after the COVID testing requirement is lifted. 
Retail

Japan retailers expand duty-free shops as Chinese tourists return

Yamada Holdings and Matsumoto Kiyoshi prepare for end of border controls

5 April 2023
Fast Retailing will begin inspecting third-tier spinning mills, expanding a program that currently covers sewing factories and fabric mills closer to it in the supply chain. (Photo courtesy of Fast Retailing)
Supply Chain

Uniqlo parent to audit working conditions at third-tier suppliers

Fast Retailing responds to calls for stricter due diligence on human rights

5 April 2023
A garment factory in Yangon. Clothing brands have outsourced production to Myanmar, providing low-income jobs.
Myanmar Crisis

Uniqlo owner joins clothiers exiting Myanmar

Fashion industry shifts outsourcing away from military-ruled country

30 March 2023
Dagangan is focused on selling and delivering food, clothes and other items to people in rural areas. (Screenshot from Dagangan Indonesia's YouTube page) 
DealStreetAsia

Indonesian e-commerce startup Dagangan finalizing funding round

Sources say talks are ongoing, investors could change

27 March 2023
Seven & i Holdings has concentrated on its convenience stores while moving to trim other operations. (Photo by Kaisuke Ohta)
Retail

U.S. activist fund demands removal of 7-Eleven parent's chief

ValueAct seeks to replace 4 Seven & i directors to promote leaner business portfolio

25 March 2023
Castlery was founded in 2013 by co-founder Declan Ee, a Singaporean entrepreneur, and his friends. (Photo by Mayuko Tani)
Consumer

Singapore's Castlery targets gap between Ikea and luxury furniture

U.S. expansion pushes sales sixfold higher than pre-pandemic levels

21 March 2023
Hanaseru Share Honya Tomarigi in Chigasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, has a cozy Japanese-style room where people can mingle after shopping. (Photo by Shuntaro Nimura)
Retail

Shared bookstores let bibliophiles meet owners with a passion

Low initial costs help renters of shelves sell their favorite books easily

19 March 2023
Ito-Yokado founder Masatoshi Ito in 1996. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Obituaries

Ito-Yokado founder was cautious merchant who dared to save 7-Eleven

Masatoshi Ito turned family shop into retail group with $74bn in sales

15 March 2023
Many Gen Z and millennial shoppers are prioritizing sustainability over "fast fashion." (Photo courtesy of Bombay Closet Cleanse)
Retail

India's trendy thrift stores offer cheap alternative to fast fashion

Environmentally conscious young people turn to secondhand clothing

12 March 2023
Coupang Japan's brief experiment with virtually immediate home deliveries has not proved a viable business in Tokyo.  
Companies

South Korean e-commerce Coupang pulls out of Japan

Quick delivery of food and daily essentials will terminate this month

10 March 2023
Central Westville is slated to open in Bangkok by December. (Image courtesy of Central Pattana)
Property

Thai developer Central Pattana eyes $3.9bn for malls, homes over 5 years

Expanded investment plan includes hotels, anticipating rapid tourism rebound

10 March 2023
Alibaba has offered to develop a dedicated "Made in Bangladesh" page on its website to showcase goods from the nation. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images) 
Retail

Alibaba targets Bangladeshi manufacturers in push to expand

Chinese e-commerce site looks to draw more sellers from South Asian nation

8 March 2023
Operations at DALI outlets are based on German supermarkets that avoid elaborate interiors and massive advertising costs. (Screenshot from DALI Stores website)
DealStreetAsia

ADB to invest $15m in Philippines-focused grocery chain DALI

Bank hopes move will increase food security and create jobs

8 March 2023
Robots pick and deliver items to be boxed at Coupang's Daegu fulfillment center. (Photo courtesy of Coupang)
Companies

Coupang, South Korea's Amazon, reaps rewards of robot investments

Warehouse automation drives profit streak, but share price still lags

2 March 2023
Una Brands says it is the only active multichannel e-commerce aggregator in Southeast Asia. (Screenshot from Una Brands' website) 
DealStreetAsia

Singapore e-commerce aggregator Una Brands raises $30m

Private equity group Northstar leads the pre-Series C funding round

1 March 2023
JD.com aims to return to its strategy of offering low prices for online shoppers to avoid losing market share.
Consumer

China's JD.com to offer big subsidies in price war with Pinduoduo

Vendors to gain from '10bn yuan' program as platforms return to cut-price plan

23 February 2023
A pop-up store to relaunch Forever 21 in Japan drew crowds in Tokyo's Shibuya district on Feb. 21. (Photo by Makoto Okada)
Retail

Forever 21 returns to Japan with new upscale image

Fallen fast-fashion leader revamps itself with Tokyo pop-up store

22 February 2023
A Muji store in Shanghai will become the first in China to offer locally grown vegetables. (Photo Tomoko Wakasugi)
Food & Beverage

Muji shows off green thumb in China with locally grown veggies

Japanese retailer to offer food with farm-to-table dining at new Shanghai outlet

17 February 2023