The Way In.
Japan Market
For franchisors, pop-up stores or
an experiential campaign
combined with solid marketing is
an effective way to introduce your
product, gauge the market and
gather essential feedback before
full scale entry.
potential. Many foreign
franchisors have stressed that in
order to conduct business in
Japan it is essential to have a
business partner with a deep
understanding of the Japanese
market.
For brand licensing, export stores
and high end supermarkets are a
good entry point though an
understanding of the distribution
system is needed. In addition to
about 200 single stores, there are
around 900 chain owned specialty
supermarkets that stock a range
of foreign brands.
There are a number of large
Japanese companies very
receptive to partnering with
foreign franchise concepts at all
stages of development-not only
companies who have a large
overseas domestic
footprint-wdi.co.jp is one good
example. When such business
Japan can serve as a launch pad
for the rest of the Asian market.
Partners/Masters:
Identifying the right partner in
Japan does require time and effort
and Japanese partners/masters
usually want to see a business
plan that has a clear marketing
strategy or strong growth
partnerships are successful, Japan
can serve as a launch pad for the
rest of the Asian market.
Key Franchise Points
* Have a clearly defined marketing strategy and well-developed
business plan.