EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Japan was the world’s third-largest economy in 2011 with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$5.8 trillion. With such a large economy it is no surprise that Japan is also one of the top ten confectionery markets in the world, with retail sales of US$9.8 billion.
However, the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 had a significant impact on consumer spending related to confectionery goods.
From 2010 to 2011, Japan’s confectionery market experienced negative value growth of 2.4%, and volume sales decreased by 3.4%. Although
the gum category remained unchanged, chocolate confectionery decreased by 4.3% in value, and sugar confectionery fell by 1.7%.
From December 2010 to December 2011, 211 of the 1219 confectionery products launched on the Japanese market were completely new introductions (17%). This demonstrates that despite the sector’s decline, novelty goods are still in demand in the Japanese confectionery market.
