World Footwear

Japan

Japan retail: unlocking consumer confidence is key for retail

Premium ContentMar 24, 2023 / Japan
The volume of footwear imports closed 2022 about 10 percentage points below the 2015 baseline, suggesting that the impact of the imported inflation on prices has been clouding the real performance of retail sales in the category. Both the government and some companies have offered inflation allowances or anti-inflation subsidies, but given the saving Japanese mindset, it can be expected that any additional disposable income will not necessarily be used for discretionary shopping, such as clothing and footwear. To boost consumption, it is therefore needed to unlock consumer confidence, which improved only marginally In February, and appears now to be flattening

VF Corp opens design collective and regional office in Tokyo

Feb 1, 2023 / Japan
The owner of brands such as Timberland and Vans, among others, has announced the launch of the Tokyo Design Collective alongside an office in the city's Harajuku district to boost its creative reach

Asics plans to further grow in India

Jan 25, 2023 / India
The Japan-based sportswear company has reported that India saw the highest growth globally in 2022 due to the post-pandemic running and fitness boom

Mizuno's Innovation Centre in full swing

Dec 28, 2022 / Japan
After three years since the announcement of the investment, the Osaka-based sportswear company reported that its Innovation Centre, called Mizuno Engine, is now operating

Japan Retail: apparel and footwear retail will hardly remain safe amidst such troubling waters

Premium ContentNov 15, 2022 / Japan
The further easing of COVID-19 border control measures brought tourists back to the stores, but the anticipated consumption-led recovery is being curbed by the high wholesale inflation, as the weak yen is inflating the costs of imports. On the other end, if the yen depreciation is fostering exports, the fear of a global economic slowdown is a bearer of bad news. Both the Apparel & Accessories Retail and the Consumer Confidence indicator are currently trending down, and not to increase prices is no longer an option. As for online commerce, now that the pandemic boosting effect is over, the competitiveness between this channel and physical retail is at stake, however, it is yet soon to claim a winner

Asics ventures into the Web3 commerce

Nov 10, 2022 / Japan
The physical running shoes in the ASICS x Solana UI Collection can only be purchased with digital currency. The company said to be showing the future of Web3 commerce with this move

Asics creates lowest ever CO2 emissions sneaker

Oct 13, 2022 / Japan
The Japan-based company has reportedly launched the sneaker with the lowest carbon footprint on the market, which represents a "significant leap forward in its commitment" to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050

Asics launches first 3D printed model

Jul 27, 2022 / Japan
The Japan-based sportswear company, which is making its debut within 3D, introduced the Actibreeze 3D sandals to aid recovering athletes in the After Performance phase

Uniqlo owner raises outlook

Jul 21, 2022 / Japan
The Japan-based Fast Retailing posted record profit results in the third quarter of fiscal 2022, with strong performances in every market except for Greater China, raising its outlook in result

Japan Retail: imported inflation troubles retail despite positive signs on consumer mood

Premium ContentJul 18, 2022 / Japan
Despite positive signs regarding the consumers’ mood, which is leading the BoJ to focus on boosting domestic demand, retailers are facing imported inflation unseen for decades. So, as the yen sinks, it is more accurate to wonder whether Japanese companies’ margins can resist for much longer to fully pass on rising costs to consumers. In addition, the sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will certainly take a toll on retail, alongside persistent supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, even as the country moves away from those times. Since expenses on energy and food cannot be readily cut, the slack demand for footwear already observed is far from being a surprise

Asics and StepN launch co-branded NFT sneakers

May 10, 2022 / Japan
The Japan-based company and the move-to-earn running app StepN have joined forces to release the Stepn x Asics NFT Sneaker Mystery Box collection exclusively on Binance NFT Marketplace

Japan Retail: retail prospects are again at stake

Premium ContentApr 4, 2022 / World Footwear Reports
Hope for a return to normality in March, following the lift of the quasi-emergency restrictions imposed to control the Omicron-variant outbreak at the end of 2021, appears to be off the picture. The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on households and companies, which is prompting a hike in commodities and food prices, can no longer be discarded. Most likely, the footwear retail growth momentum of the final months of last year will not be accompanied by an increase in prices to avoid scaring away consumers, whose confidence suffered yet another blow in front of the international conjuncture

Asics quantifies the impact of physical inactivity on mental state

Apr 1, 2022 / Japan
Asics Mind Race experiment revealed that the impact of a week of physical inactivity is similar to a week of broken sleep. But it takes only 15:09 minutes of physical activity to lift the mood

Asics partners up with virtual training platform

Feb 16, 2022 / Japan
As part of the company's digital expansion strategy, Asics is joining forces with the online platform Zwift to create online running experiences that can assist runners achieving their goals

Asics Accelerator Programme open for applications

Dec 29, 2021 / Japan
The Japan-based sportswear giant is inviting potential candidates to submit their proposals until the 14th of February 2022, under the theme ‘sports- 3 years from now’
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