Japanese Market Review

Ezaki Glico Lotte Co., Ltd. “There are a variety of ways that “We will continue to promote xylitol healthy snacks will be developing in products as well as other products that the near future. It will take time for are designated as healthy foods. It is this field to be established as a new important for us to help consumers snack segment—it is still in a transi- understand the advantages of healthy tion period. This is a new part of the foods for oral care. Consumers have Katsuhisa Ezaki business that cannot be compared to already acknowledged the positive Takeo Shigemitsu the conventional quality, volume and pricing of tradi- effects of polyphenols in cacao.Traditional Japanese choco- tional snacks.” late products need to be combined with healthy aspects.”

Morinaga Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd. “As consumers mature so do their “In order to combine luxury with tastes. For chocolate consumption this snacking, we have tried a tie-in with signals a gowing demand for an adult Maxim’s de Paris. In addition, we are taste in chocolates. The confectionery investigating the possibility of sell- products that people enjoy have always ing snacks through mail order. We been an expression of aspects of their are facing an age when we cannot sell Gota Morinaga lives. This means that confectionery only through the conventional sales Naotada Sato that fails to mesh with our daily lives is destined to dis- channels. We are also developing our strategy for the appear. We cannot overlook the changing Japanese Chinese market. We will have a chocolate factory com- lifestyle. People are requesting quality as well as value.The pleted in in May. Our target is to sell ¥10 bil- bitter taste of Venezuelan dark chocolate provides a value lion in the first three years.” that we could not achieve with previous milk chocolates.”

Top Kashi Companies in Japan — 2004 Sales unit in ¥100 million Rank Company Sales Rank Company Sales Rank Company Sales Rank Company Sales 1 Meiji Seika ¥2,719 14 Koikeya G ¥228 26 Shoei Kashi ¥125 39 Maruhiko Seika ¥51 2 Lotte Shoji ¥1,610 15 Cadbury Japan ¥220 27 Oyatsu Company ¥122 40 Sansei Food ¥50 3 Morinaga & Co. ¥1,495 16 Sanko Seika ¥203 28 Asahi Food & Health. ¥105 41 Ginbis ¥47 4 Ezaki Glico ¥1,346 17 Kanro ¥185 29 Nobel Seika ¥98 42 AbekoSeika ¥45 5 Calbee ¥939 18 Iwatuka Seika ¥177 30 Yoneya ¥91 43 Hinodeya Seika ¥43 6 Borbon ¥841 19 Denroku ¥167 31 Meiji Chewing Gum ¥90 44 Senjakuame ¥41 7 ¥790 20 Meito Sungyo ¥166 32 Kuriyama Beika ¥88 45 Takara Seika ¥41 8 Kameda Seika ¥629 21 UHA Mikakuto ¥160 33 Bonchi ¥86 46 Sakuma Seika ¥40 9 Kanebo Foods ¥465 22 Furuta Seika ¥156 34 Matsuo Seika ¥64 47 Akutagawa Seika ¥39 10 Yamazaki Nabisco ¥343 23 Kasugai Seika ¥155 35 Ito Seika ¥64 48 Ribon ¥37 11 Imuraya Seika ¥287 24 Nissin Cisco ¥152 36 Izumi Seika ¥63 49 Amanoya ¥37 12 Nestlé Confect. ¥240 25 Tivolli Tivon ¥145 37 Japan Frito Lay ¥63 50 Lion Kashi ¥37 13 Kabaya Food ¥234 38 Echigo Seika ¥56

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