The pandemic has triggered the decline of the beauty market in 2020, but key suppliers such as Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal are now expecting growth to return, through their online sales. L’Oréal: ecommerce to aid return to growth of cosmetics Although the total sales of L’Oréal has dropped for the full year of 2020, APAC is the only region that reported growth during the year.  This is mai...

Walmart, KKR and Rakuten have signed an agreement that will change the ownership structure of Seiyu in Japan. New ownership structure In a deal worth JPY172.5bn (approx. US$1.6bn), KKR will acquire 65% majority stake in Seiyu, Rakuten will acquire a 20% stake, through a newly created subsidiary, and Walmart will retain 15%. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected ...

We round up the latest COVID-19 related news from Japan as retailers respond to changes in consumer trends and government policies. 1 July - plastic bag charge now mandatory On 1 July, the government made plastic bag fees mandatory across the country. Matsumoto KiYoshi and some other businesses such as Aeon had already been charging fees for plastic bags  since April . 25 May state of ...