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Japan Food and Drink Report Q4 2008
Business Monitor International, Oct 2008, Pages: 86
This Japan Food Drink Report provides independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Japan's food and drink industry.
Japan’s food and drink markets continue to represent a mixed opportunity for manufacturers and retailers, with room for growth mostly available to those companies focused on innovation and marketing. While the country retained its fourth position in our Food and Drink Business Environment Ratings of 14 key markets in the Asia Pacific region, flagging consumer confidence has began to change the mass grocery retail (MGR) landscape. Private label has gained wider acceptance, leading Japan’s leading retailer, Seven & I Holdings, to unveil plans to invest JPY45bn (US$410mn) in increasing the number of its own-brand food supermarkets by 30% to 2011. Similarly, discount stores are finding better reception in the market, with domestic retailer AEON reportedly considering opening deep-discount stores. However, Aeon has also been forced to increase prices for its 2,500 TopValu private-label products as well as to announce the closure of 40 unprofitable supermarkets.
Rising prices and reduced consumer spending power are also resulting in the revival of frozen foods. Japanese convenience retail giants Lawson Inc and Seven & I Holdings-owned 7-Eleven are to boost their frozen food offerings, although the interest in healthy living and a desire for premium and convenient produce might still govern consumption preferences. In related news, in June 2008, Japanese instant noodle manufacturer Nissin Food Products Co announced the JPY1.8bn (US$16.8mn) acquisition of frozen food manufacturer Nicky Foods. The purchase reflects Nissin’s desire to reduce its dependency on the mature instant noodle sector, while simultaneously targeting a growing segment.
The changing operating landscape is by and large forcing Japanese companies to look abroad for growth. Examples are numerous, with some of the most recent including the August 2008 announcement by Japanese baker Shikishima Baking Co. and local trading group Itochu to partner Taiwan’s Wei-Chuan Foods Corp to sell bread and bread products in China. Similarly, Meiji Seika Kaisha, leading chocolate maker in Japan, announced the addition of two production lines, one of chocolate and one of chewing gum, at its Chinese plant, exploring the rising interest in premium goods in the country. In the beverages segment, Kirin Brewery announced its intention to expand its soft drinks business to overseas markets, while Japanese drinks giant Suntory confirmed an investment in South East Asia to expand its presence in the growing global health supplements market.
At home, however, Japanese confectionery major Morinaga confirmed that it has indefinitely postponed plans for the construction of a new factory, which are expected to be completely abandoned. Nippon Meat Packers also reported that its Premier Deli Co subsidiary is to be dissolved in order to reduce annual costs. Instead, Nippon has been linked with the establishment of a joint venture (JV) with an unnamed seafood group, as the company looks to non-meat markets for reviving its fortunes.
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