Japanese distribution was long seen as archaic and difficult to understand, but today that has changed. Domestic firms stretching across all retail formats and categories have taken control of channels and now lead the consumer market from the front. They are now so advanced that the very best are bursting out of the Japanese market and operating across Asia and even as far as Western Europe. Through case studies and concrete examples, this book provides the most detailed analysis of retailing in Japan ever written; it is the definitive guide to how Japan has changed and what to expect in the future.

This book highlights the major institutional changes in the development of the Japanese retail industry after the bubble economy. The Japanese retail structure has been transformed from an abundance of small retail stores to chain stores by notable institutional changes with continuous variations in the post-1990s. It provides an insight into the impact of retail density on the household economy in the stagnant economy of Japan. The issues highlighted in this book include the background of the advent of 100-yen retail stores and strategic approach of the stores during the stagnant economy, a comparative analysis of Japanese 100-yen shops and dollar stores in United States, employment compliance of 100-yen shops and dollar stores in developing countries, factors that contributed to change the Japanese distribution channels after the 1990s, and determinants of retail density in Japan. The stagnant economy in the post-bubble period, along with changes in the large-scale retail store law, led consumers to shift from the most popular department stores to supermarkets and the cheapest retail alternatives. With its recent data and theories, this research work will be of interest to business and economics students and researchers in Japanese retailing and relevant areas.

This important text takes a strategic approach, examining in-depth studies of a variety of retailers and marrying theory with practice to provide comprehensive coverage for students at every level. Illustrating and evaluating the strategies of international retailers, developing concepts and theories that enable an understanding of international retailing and showing the contrasts in the approaches adopted by major firms in their international operations, this important text is a must-read for all those studying or working in international retail.

Retailing in the countries of Asia Pacific is changing dramatically. Changes which took decades, even centuries, elsewhere are happening in a few years. The growth of larger firms and the arrival of international retailers are changing the business landscape, bringing the consistent supply and presentation of wider ranges of goods to consumers, and leading to the development of new kinds of retail stores and modern shopping malls, often in new locations. All of these developments are important for economic growth and for consumers and their lifestyles, They raise questions for governments about foreign investment, about social and environmental change, and about the fate of traditional retailers. This book examines the trends, seeking to understand how far they are global and how local circumstances affect developments. International retailers have spread across the region, but not always successfully. Studies in several countries look at their processes of growth and some of the reasons for success and failure. A review of changing regulation across the region suggests regulators should be concerned to avoid the problems of overconcentration of retail power, and country studies reflect on the effects of regulation as well as cultural and other influences on change. This book was published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

This book is one of the very few published investigations of international business in a Japanese context, based on an up-to-date overview of the Japanese mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in particular. The author explicates recent developments in Japanese business and shows how Japanese firms drastically change to reach out to become more globalized. The book can serve as a foundation in a teaching module for any Japan-related class in international business. Specifically, this publication reveals the inner workings of the Japanese business system. M&A activities covered here include those of foreign firms in Japan as well as Japanese firms investing domestically and in cross-border ventures. Illustrated by carefully chosen examples and supported by extensive data analyses, this book is highly recommended to readers who seek an in-depth understanding of the Japanese M&A market. The volume is enriched by case studies that explicitly illustrate the objectives of specific firms and how they successfully manage their M&A. The author brings to this work his 14 years of experience in Japan and has relied not only on English literature but also on original Japanese sources in creating this highly valuable contribution to the field.

The Handbook explores institutional variations across the political economies of different societies within Asia. It includes empirical analysis of 13 major Asian business systems between India and Japan, and examines these in a comparative, historical, and theoretical context.

Tourists are drawn to explore new environments and peoples. What better way to interact with a locality than to seek out and roam its marketplaces? The nature of tourist shopping activity thus goes beyond mere functional purchasing into multi-sensory explorations of place and space. Awareness of the shifting nature of these attractions is crucial to retailers and place marketers, in this age of the internet, in order that the physical space of the market is also social and cultural space. This book offers new perspectives on the intersection between tourism and retail research that is liminal to both fields yet central to the tourist experience, standing as an important and illuminating realm of consumer behaviour. It features a selection of multidisciplinary researchers' perspectives on tourist retail format and formation attractiveness for consumers, from the economist to the fashion retailer. By reviewing selected developments in space, place and behaviours within leisure, entertainment and recreational shopping, encompassing travel points, retail centres, sensory/festival marketplaces, leisure/cityscapes, department stores and fashion, the book offers thought-provoking insights into the past, present and future of tourist retail across a variety of global locations. Given the emphasis upon consumer experience in place and space study and the apparent importance of retail activities within the tourism sphere, this book will be valuable reading for all those interested in retail, tourism and wider socio-cultural leisure environments and behaviours.