Competitiveness of the Japanese department stores along with globalizing apparel companies

• Project/Area Number: 15K03751
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Commerce
• Research Institution: Kansai University
• Principal Investigator: Fujioka Rika 関西大学, 商学部, 教授 (00326480)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
• Keywords: 百貨店 / アパレル / ファッション / グローバル化 / 垂直統合 / 競争優位 / グローバル / グローバル競争 / デニム / ジーンズ / 既製服

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project aimed to shed light on changing competitiveness of the Japanese department stores along with globalizing apparel companies. There are two main findings: 1)a reason for the decline in sales of Japanese department stores is associated with decreased competitiveness of Japanese apparel companies, and 2)there are some exceptions including denim company and jeans company which maintain their global competitiveness.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本において、百貨店が高度成長期、アパレル企業とともに既製服市場を拡大してきたことはよく知られている。そして、両者の関係が現在の百貨店の売上高減少に影響していることは、多くの既存研究が指摘してきたことである。しかし、なぜ百貨店はアパレル企業に代わるパートナーを見つけることができなかったのか、また、アパレル企業はなぜ百貨店以外の販路開拓に失敗したのかは不明であった。本研究が、その問題をグローバルなアパレル産業の競争構造から解明したことは、百貨店研究やアパレル研究の発展に貢献するとともに、売上低迷に苦しむ百貨店やアパレル企業に戦略的なインプリケーションを提示できると考える。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Erasmus University Rotterdam(Netherlands)
• [Int'l Joint Research] Erasmus University Rotterdam(Netherlands)
• [Journal Article] Japanese Department Stores (2018)
  • Author(s): Fujioka Rika
  • Journal Title: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management Volume: online Pages: 1-26
  • DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.95
  • ISBN: 9780190224851
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] Network Evolution in Asia’s Textile and Clothing Industry; Market Access and Manufacturing Costs (2018)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics 30th Annual Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The Development of Department Stores and Westernisation of Consumer Culture (2018)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: XVIII World Economic History Congress
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Japanese Department Stores’ Conflicting Strategy between Global and Local Markets (2018)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: European Business History Association 22nd Annual Congress
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] From cotton kimonos to the jeans industry: the development of denim industrial clusters in Japan (2017)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: Global Fashion Management Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Competitiveness of Japanese denim and jeans industry: the cases of Kaiahara and Japan Blue, 1970-2015 (2016)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka and Ben Wubs
  • Organizer: European Business History Association and World Congress on Business History
  • Place of Presentation: Scandic Ornen Hotel (Norway)
  • Year and Date: 2016-08-27
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The development of Japanese department stores: 1868-1937 (2016)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: Research Seminar at Institute of Place Management
  • Place of Presentation: Manchester Metropolitan University (UK)
  • Year and Date: 2016-05-25
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] The transition from communitarian management to modern management in Japanese department stores (2016)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: The Centre for the History of Retailing and Distribution
  • Place of Presentation: University of Wolverhampton (UK)
  • Year and Date: 2016-05-24
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Competitiveness of Japanese Denim and Jeans Industry: the Cases of Kaihara and Japan Blue, 1970-2015 (2015)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka and Ben Wubs
  • Organizer: Denim on Stage: University meets Industry at Denim City in Amsterdam
  • Place of Presentation: The House of Denim (Netherlands）
  • Year and Date: 2015-10-30
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The Development of Japanese Department Stores alongside the Growing Ready-made Clothes Market from the 1950s to the 1970s (2015)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: Centre for the History of Retailing and Distribution Conference
  • Place of Presentation: University of Wolverhampton (UK）
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-10
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Competition between Department Stores and Fast Fashion Retailers for Suppliers (2015)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka
  • Organizer: European Retail Trade and the Clothing Industry in Historical Perspective
  • Place of Presentation: The Historisches Kolleg Bad Homburg (Germany)
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-12
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Book] Competitiveness of the Japanese denim and jeans industry: the case of Kaihara and Japan Blue, 1970-2015, in Blaszczyk, R. L & Pouillard, V. (eds.), European Fashion : The creation of a global industry (2018)
  • Author(s): Rika Fujioka and Ben Wubs
  • Publisher: Manchester University Press
  • ISBN: 9781526122117