“Izakaya” pub chain operator Watami Co., which struggles with a decline in alcohol consumption, especially among the youth, last autumn acquired Subway Japan G.K., which operates sandwich shops. The move is designed to “make the (Watami) brand popular among young people once again,” Chairman and CEO Miki Watanabe has said.
Gyukaku barbecue restaurant operator Colowide Co., which has its roots in the izakaya business, started meal services for medical and welfare facilities in 2019. The company expects demand for the new business to grow due to Japan’s societal ageing.
“We have advantages that other meal service companies don’t have, such as collaboration with our restaurant brands,” Colowide President Kohei Nojiri said.
Akira Nakagawa, researcher at the Deloitte Tohmatsu Strategy Institute, said that consumer preferences have changed significantly through the pandemic. “There were moves to diversify businesses in the past, but they have become more active in recent years,” he said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]