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The Japanese Market for Home Furnishings and Housewares Remains Uncertain Despite Efforts by Many Key Players to Improve Its Performance
Thursday March 13, 01:00 PM
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c85717) has announced the addition of Euromonitor International's new report: Housewares and Home Furnishings in Japan to their offering.
Our Housewares and Home Furnishings in Japan report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2001-2006), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts to 2011 illustrate how the market is set to change.
Product coverage: carpets and other floor coverings, furniture, household textiles and soft furnishings, ceramic housewares, china and porcelain, cutlery, glassware, plastic housewares
Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.
Why buy this report?
- Get a detailed picture of the housewares and home furnishings industry;
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
- Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;
- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Demand Declines for Home Furnishings and Housewares in 2006
Overall demand for both home furnishing and housewares declined in 2006, which reflected the low priority Japanese households place on home furnishings. Contributing to the weak performance was the entry of cheap imports from China resulting in much cheaper retail prices.
Wider Distribution Cushioned Weak Sales
In an attempt to achieve wider sales, key players opened larger showrooms and offered a wider selection of furniture and furnishing products. Companies saw the potential of wide scale distribution in order to cushion weak sales. Furniture and furnishing outlets introduced a mix of European, Western and Asian home furnishings in order to broaden the range of products in the market with the hope of increasing sales.
Plastics May Rule
The introduction of plastic items especially in the housewares sector grew strongly, which resulted in lower prices and inevitably led to lower overall value sales. The invasion of plastic was strongly felt in many subsectors such as cookware and cutlery, particularly with the introduction of microwavable plastics, which saw strong demand.
Value Added Products Bring Success
With the objective of achieving higher market shares and increased sales margins, key players such as Shine Kohgei emphasised its coating technology, which is environmentally-friendly, and used this as its best strategy to entice the market and yield higher purchases. On the other hand, Noritake continues to offer value added products, while eager to develop a competitive advantage in its existing business and create new markets in emerging fields, such as environmental protection.
Future of Home Furnishings and Housewares Remain Uncertain
The market for home furnishings and housewares remains uncertain despite efforts by many key players to improve its performance. The increasing availability of cheap items, mainly imports, and the offshore strategy of many key players, will eventually lead to much cheaper retail prices in the market. Within the forecast period, it is expected that Japanese households will be faced with the wider array of products in both sectors but will
favour those that offer the best mix in terms of quality and affordability.
Eating Out Hampers Use of Housewares
As Japanese people travel abroad more frequently and are exposed to a variety of different tastes and flavours, demand for a greater choice of cuisine within Japan has likewise expanded. For most single households, eating out, either alone or with friends, became the norm. Single households tend to find cooking for themselves tiresome that usually content themselves with eating at the nearest ramen house or fast food outlet before going home. This dampened spending on housewares as fewer meals were eaten at home.
Companies Mentioned:
Noritake Co Ltd
Otsuka Furniture Manufacturing & Sales Co Ltd
Shimachu Co Ltd
Shine Kohgei Co Ltd
Bals Corp
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c85717
Contact:
Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager Fax: +353 1 4100 980 press@researchandmarkets.com
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