Warren Buffett emphasizes buying companies with a durable competitive advantage, while Peter Lynch talks about finding companies that aren't well known but are run well, and poised for growth. I am currently in Japan visiting my brother and I wanted to mention a few companies that I see fit those molds. I haven't had time to look up stock information, or see if they are publicly traded companies, but maybe there are a few gems in here.
First up are beverage companies in the Coca-Cola realm. In Japan, there are two main beverage companies, Asahi and Suntory, that have a monopoly on the beverage industry, be it soft drinks, beer, or fruit juice. Japan is litered with vending machines, and you are guaranteed to see a Suntory or Asahi product on every street, usually for 20-30 yen ($.20-$.30) more than you can buy them in a regular store.
Second are the convenience stores, in the vain of 7/11, which they actually have in Japan. The two other main stores are FamilyMart and AmPm. Most of these stores are open 24 hours and you can't go a few blocks without seeing one. There have always been people in these stores, regardless of the time I have entered one.
Finally, there is the grocery chain Daiei, similar to a Meijer or Kroger (for you Michiganders) or a smaller Wal-Mart that has a full grocery section. This seems to be the best place to do all in one shopping, although I have heard there are a few Costco stores in Japan, for those bulk shopping trips.
I don't know if anyone of these companies have stock that can be purchased, but for those looking at companies within Asia, those are a good place to start.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
The 11-Bagger has an Asia correspondent. Good stuff. It will be great to look at a few spreedsheets with you when you get back now that you've had a bit of inside perspective from Japan. Hopefully you can bring back a whole list of well-branded companies from what you're seeing. Hope you've had a great trip!
I would actually like to toss out Kirin as a major beverage company. In America, Sapporo, Asahi, and Kirin are the only Japanese beers I had heard of or drank before coming here. And as far as convience stores, Lawson is a major player here, which started in Ohio but had little success there, was bought by a Japanese company (unsure which) and is now probably the second biggest chain behind 7/11.
Also, Bic Camera is the Japanese Best Buy, and Yodobashi is like a Marshall Fields. It's also interesting to note that pretty much every train station has some sort of shopping/grocery store connected to it, two very common ones are Lusca or Lumine.
And for you South Park fans, Japan does have Shakey's pizza restaurants.
Post a Comment