Walking with dinosaurs: general trading companies in the reorganization of Japanese consumer goods distribution

Abstract

With the Japanese economy going through a period of prolonged stagnation many of its established institutions have to redefine themselves. Among these are General Trading Companies (sôgô shôsha), which have traditionally occupied a prominent place in the Japanese economy and are currently trying to increase their role in the Japanese retail sector. This paper explores this development at an early stage by outlining the relationships between General Trading Companies and the retail sector and providing a closer discussion of the most prominent feature within this development: the take‐over of two leading convenience store chains by General Trading Companies.

Citation

Meyer‐Ohle, H. (2004), "Walking with dinosaurs: general trading companies in the reorganization of Japanese consumer goods distribution", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 45-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550410515542