Market Focus: Trends and Developments in the Bakery & Cereals Sector in Japan

Synopsis
This report provides a concise overview of the Bakery & Cereals market in Japan. After reading this report, you will understand the size of the market, the economic, demographic, and behavioural trends that will drive its evolution, and the leading players within the market, allowing you to plan effectively for the future.
Scope
Analysis of consumer behaviour, economic conditions, and demography reveals emerging opportunities in the Bakery & Cereals sector.

Key growth categories are highlighted by analysing the market dynamics of 11 Bakery & Cereal categories.

Market shares are provided for the leading brands and private label across Bakery & Cereals categories.

An overview of packaging trends in the Japanese Bakery & Cereals sector is provided, including primary packaging material and type, packaging closures, and outer packaging.


Summary
Why was the report written?
This overview of the consumer and market dynamics of the Japanese Bakery & Cereals sector allows new entrants and established players to gain rapid and comprehensive insight into the current state of the market and identify the key trends that will drive growth in the coming years.

What is the current market landscape and what is changing?
Consumption frequency and product selection within the Bakery & Cereals sector in Japan is critically linked to factors such as age-specific needs, lifestyle needs, and consumer taste and preferences. Japan's changing demographics and busy lives make it imperative for the marketers to fulfill the specific nutritional needs and consumption habits, or to match the food habits and lifestyles of the consumer group. Japan’s older consumers, aged 60 or over, made up just over a quarter of Japan’s population; by 2017 they’ll make up over a third. Marketers face a challenge meeting the nutritional needs and consumption habits of older consumers.

What are the key drivers behind recent market changes?
Women constitute 42% of Japan’s workforce. Working women with a busy work schedule favour easy-to-eat and protein enriched food such as Breakfast Cereals, Energy Bars, Cereal Bars to save time. New product development is targeting women and addressing health concerns to overcome the challenging market environment with intense price competition among manufacturers and highly consolidated retailers.

What makes this report unique and essential to read?
This report brings together consumer insight and market data to provide a comprehensive brief of the Japanese Bakery & Cereals sector. This allows for the rapid identification of key growth opportunities across 11 Bakery & Cereal categories and their packaging.
Reasons To Buy
Japanese consumers prefer to purchase staple goods such as Bread & Rolls and Breakfast Cereals from Convenience Stores and Hypermarkets & Supermarkets. However, elderly consumers prefer to shop at local Convenience stores, providing an opportunity for this channel as the population ages. Working women, the other large consumer group, are time-poor, and therefore tend to frequent large shopping malls less often. The purchase frequency of Food & Grocery products will grow fastest in Convenience stores.

Though Japanese consumers enjoy traditional food, their busy lives and an increasing number of single person households have contributed to demand for quick and easy meals that are purchased either at retail outlets or eaten at fast food chains offering traditional or western fast food.

The value of Breakfast Cereals is growing quickly in Japan, at a projected CAGR of 3.5% during 2007-2017, as a result of a combination of demand for a healthier breakfast, the influence of US culture, and the marketing power of large manufacturers.

Japan is one of the fastest aging nations among developed countries. Consumers above the age of 65 accounted for 24% of the population in 2012, while children aged 14 and under made up only 13% of the population. Marketers face the choice of targeting Japan's growing older population, and their specific nutritional needs and consumption habits, or attempting to appeal to younger consumers.

Bread & Rolls accounted for 40% of the total packaging materials used in Japan’s Bakery & Cereals sector in 2012, driving significant demand for Flexible Packaging Bags/Sachets with Plastic Tie closures.