Food & Beverage

8 May 2025
Bottles of Tsingtao beer at a supermarket in Shanghai. The group hopes to capitalize on different peak sales seasons for beer and Chinese yellow wine.
Jack in the Donuts offers an original product lineup that feature tastes from around the world. (Jack in the Donuts)
Food & Beverage

Krispy Kreme, others seek bigger bite of Japan doughnut market

New challengers look to take on Mister Donut's dominant position

7 May 2025
A whisky store in Gurugram, India. British whisky makers will benefit from lower import tariffs in India, which has raised concerns among manufacturers in the South Asian country.
Trade

India's steel, alcohol sectors feel unease over UK trade deal

London's carbon border tax a worry even as agreement seen as win amid trade war

7 May 2025
Japanese companies offered bento boxed meals at a train station in Switzerland.
Food & Beverage

Japan's train station bentos find stunning success in Switzerland

Zurich pop-up store sells out meals within 2 hours on opening day

6 May 2025
A rice farmer in Japan. The country imports roughly 770,000 tonnes of rice a year under a duty-free "minimum access" agreement.
Trade

Japan's ruling party balks at importing US rice as part of tariff deal

LDP members argue concessions would hurt country's food security

6 May 2025
Prices at restaurants and hotels are rising in Yokohama's Minato Mirai 21 district, partly due to the influx of tourist from overseas. (Photo by Sae Kamae)
Travel & Leisure

Image of 'inexpensive Yokohama' increasingly out of date

Overseas tourism boom pushing up prices at restaurants, hotels

5 May 2025
The pod squad: UCC Ueshima Coffee's Drip Pod series offers a wide variety of flavors. (UCC Ueshima Coffee)
Food & Beverage

Japan-born coffee pod machine brews Thai expansion

UCC Ueshima Coffee aims to tap growing appetite beyond home market

3 May 2025
Shede Spirits, whose mainstay baijiu costs about 500 yuan, reported an 80% plunge in net profit in 2024. (Photo by Wataru Suzuki)
Food & Beverage

China's price wars come for its baijiu liquor makers

$165bn industry set for slowest growth in a decade under deflationary pressure

3 May 2025
This sphere-shaped tank in Fukuoka temporarily stores biogas produced from food waste. (Photo by Yuta Fukushima)
2 May 2025
A KFC restaurant in Shanghai on May 1. Operator Yum China's latest earnings results showed modest growth but left investors disappointed. (Photo by Nikkei)
Food & Beverage

China consumer belt-tightening constrains KFC operator, Starbucks

Yum China shares drop 7% after earnings; homegrown chains also hit by 'shift in behavior'

1 May 2025
A couple from Turkey taste sake at Yodobloom Sake, a shop inside Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Umeda Store in Osaka. (Photo by Yasuki Okamoto)
Travel & Leisure

Overseas visitors to expo are a boon to Osaka retailers

Stores see visitors from a variety of countries, offer new services

26 April 2025
Average retail prices for Japanese rice are more than double those of last year, according to government data. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Food & Beverage

Japan's rice importers to lift purchases twentyfold led by US grain

Imports to swell as Tokyo weighs buying even more from America amid tariff talks

25 April 2025
German food delivery service foodpanda struggles due to changes in consumer behavior after COVID-19. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Food & Beverage

Delivery Hero to close foodpanda's Thailand operations in May

Rising costs, fierce competition force company to end 13-year journey

23 April 2025
A Highlands Coffee store in Hanoi.
DealStreetAsia

Vietnam's largest coffee chain Highlands revives IPO plan

CEO says local stock exchange is the top option for listing

23 April 2025
Itochu and CP Group first entered into a capital tie-up in 2014. (Source photos by Nikkei)
Business deals

Itochu to end cross-shareholding in Thai CP Group

Strategic alliance to continue; deal to generate $880m gain for Japan trading house

22 April 2025
China, led by President Xi Jinping, halted orders of U.S. soybeans and corn just days before President Donald Trump returned to the White House. (Source photos by Reuters)
Trade war

China halted orders for U.S. soybeans and corn before tariff escalation

Beijing shifts trade toward Brazil, aiming to rattle American farmers amid trade war

21 April 2025
This unstaffed souvenir shop was set up at Hinanoyakata Park in Higashiizu, Shizuoka prefecture. The automated shop requires buyers to use their smartphones' QR code readers. (Photo by Taro Saeki) 
Travel & Leisure

Little-visited Japan town partners with a startup to sell souvenirs

Higashiizu bets on its edible specialties tasting so good they convince tourists to visit

19 April 2025
Myanmar drinkers have flocked to Heineken beer, despite its being pricier than the competition. (Photo by Nikkei)
Food & Beverage

In Myanmar's fractured beer market, Heineken gains upper hand

Consumers abandon military-linked local brand in favor of foreign competitors

19 April 2025
The price of rice, Japan's staple food, has risen at its steepest pace for 50 years. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
Food & Beverage

Japan's record rice price surge pushes up core inflation

Cost of staple grain nearly doubles in year, despite stockpile releases

18 April 2025
Shares of Chinese tea chain Chagee gained 21% in their Nasdaq debut on April 17.
Food & Beverage

Chinese tea chain Chagee valued at $6.2bn in strong Nasdaq debut

Market reaction signals sustained investor appetite for Chinese IPOs on U.S. exchanges

18 April 2025
Attendees taste Miyazaki wagyu at a promotional event in Doha in March. (Courtesy of the Miyazaki prefectural government) 
Food & Beverage

Halal-certified wagyu ready to go overseas from Japan's Miyazaki

Beef processor seeks to tap Muslim markets as competition grows

16 April 2025
The international price of Arabica beans, mainly used in cafes, broke the $9-per-kilogram threshold in February.
Commodities

Coffee prices haven't peaked yet, forecaster says

U.N. economist expects consumers to feel weather-driven increase by next year

16 April 2025
Sapporo Holdings' real estate business includes the Yebisu Garden Place commercial complex in Tokyo. (Photo by Manami Yamada)
Property

Sapporo Holdings to tap property sale proceeds for shareholder returns

Brewery group too dependent on real estate holdings, says new president

15 April 2025
Yili's infant formulas at a store in Dalian. Competition is heating up in China's declining baby market. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
Consumer

Chinese baby formula giant Yili aims to attract parents-to-be with cash

$220 handout to couples spurs race for customer loyalty with rival Feihe

15 April 2025
The historic Sanada Residence is at the heart of Nagano's push to attract more tourists to its Matsushiro district and could be an upcoming venue for meals inspired by the banquets of a 19th century lord. (Nagano city government)
Travel & Leisure

Nagano serves up Edo-inspired meals to tempt visitors with taste for history

'Deep-dive' tours also on the menu as Japanese city looks to lure more overseas travelers

12 April 2025
Asahi Breweries will offer limited-edition nonalcoholic cocktails at the new pop-up bars. (Photo by Sei Matsumoto)
Food & Beverage

Asahi to open pop-up dry bars in Japan and South Korea

Lineup includes limited-edition nonalcoholic drinks and make-your-own cocktails

12 April 2025
CJ CheilJedang's frozen dumplings, sold under the Bibigo brand, are growing popular with U.S. consumers. (CJ CheilJedang)
Food & Beverage

Bibigo, other South Korean food brands tap growing appetites in U.S. and beyond

CJ, SPC, Samyang build new plants overseas as home market shrinks

10 April 2025
Rice farmers protest against falling prices in Bangkok in March. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)
Agriculture

Southeast Asian rice farmers struggle against Indian exports

Oversupply drags down Thai and Vietnamese export prices more than 30%

10 April 2025
The Royal will open in Ho Chi Minh City on April 18. (Sojitz)
Food & Beverage

Japan's Sojitz, Royal Holdings to launch 1st restaurant in Vietnam

Trading house aims to tap demand for dining out as incomes grow

9 April 2025
Suntory's exports of Japanese whisky to the U.S. will face a higher tariff. (Photo by Atsushi Ooka)
Trade war

Suntory can't fully offset tariffs with higher whisky prices: chairman

Stock sell-off will hurt American consumer spending, Takeshi Niinami says

9 April 2025