Declining customer traffic due to changes in market needs and consumer preferences
First written in FY2018. 10 of 20 entries say "Worsened", first in FY2020-Q2. Latest entry: 2026-09-10.
Chimney moved to the "Worse" side of this theme in 2019, 6 years before the typical company in this theme (2025).
The whole theme swung hardest in 2020: 3 of 11 companies on the "Worse" side.
2 other companies' latest entry also says "Worsened".
- 2026-09-10WorsenedMonthly
「In August, total-store sales were 104.1% of the prior-year level, while same-store sales were 96.1% and same-store customer numbers were 97.6%.」
While total-store sales exceeded the prior-year month, same-store sales and customer numbers fell below it, indicating a decline in the customer-attraction performance of existing stores. - FY2026WorsenedAnnual report
「Customer traffic from year-end party and other banquet reservations remained healthy, but the number of walk-in customers continued to stagnate due in part to customers' increased focus on saving and selectivity. Although average spend per customer at existing stores increased due to rising prices, customer numbers fell below the prior-year level.」
The disclosure states that banquet reservations were healthy, while walk-in customer visits stagnated as customers increasingly focused on saving and selectivity, resulting in customer numbers at existing stores falling below the prior-year level. - FY2026-H1WorsenedAnnual report
「Bookings by travel groups and banquet reservations proceeded steadily, but attracting individual customers remained challenging, partly because consumers increasingly favored saving money and making more selective choices.」
While group travel and banquet reservations were healthy, the disclosure states that attracting walk-in customers remained challenging as customers increasingly focused on saving and selectivity. - FY2024-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「Although the food-service industry faces challenges including changes in lifestyles and customer spending behavior and responding to various price increases, demand for food services is steadily recovering.」
While changes in lifestyles and spending behavior and responding to price increases remain challenges, the disclosure states that demand for food services is steadily recovering. - FY2024-Q2SoftenedAnnual report
「In the food service industry, although challenges remain, including changes in lifestyles and customers' consumption behavior and the need to respond to various price increases, customer visits have been steadily recovering.」
Although changes in spending behavior and lifestyles remain challenges, the disclosure describes a steady recovery in customer visits, indicating an improvement from previous disclosures that had focused exclusively on worsening conditions for attracting customers. - FY2024-Q1SoftenedAnnual report
「Although the food-service industry faces challenges including changes in lifestyles and customer spending behavior and responding to various price increases, clear signs of a recovery in demand have emerged.」
The disclosure states that, although changes in lifestyles and spending behavior and responding to price increases remain challenges, there are “clear signs of a recovery in demand” for food services. - FY2023RestatedAnnual report
「In the food-service industry, economic activity normalized from April to June and sales showed a gradual recovery. However, as the number of infections increased from around late June, people increasingly refrained voluntarily from large-group dining and banquets, resulting in a succession of banquet cancellations, and izakaya restaurants continued to face challenging conditions. Subsequently, as the number of infections declined, sales have been on a recovery trend since September.」
While indicating the normalization of economic activity and sales recovery since September, the disclosure describes demand fluctuations caused by restraint from large-group dining and banquets and cancellations associated with rising infection numbers. - FY2023-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「In the food-service industry, economic activity normalized from April to June and sales showed a gradual recovery. However, as the number of infections increased from around late June, people increasingly refrained voluntarily from large-group dining and banquets, resulting in a succession of banquet cancellations, and izakaya restaurants continued to face challenging conditions. Subsequently, as the number of infections declined, sales have been on a recovery trend again since September.」
While indicating the normalization of economic activity and sales recovery since September, the disclosure continues to describe how restraint from large-group dining and banquets and cancellations associated with rising infection numbers weighed on izakaya demand. - FY2023-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「However, as the number of infections increased from around late June, izakaya restaurants continued to face challenging conditions, with a growing tendency for people to voluntarily refrain from large-group dining and banquets and a succession of banquet cancellations.」
While indicating signs of recovery after restrictions on activities were lifted, the disclosure identifies voluntary restraint from dining socially and holding banquets, along with banquet cancellations as infections increased, as new factors affecting izakaya customer traffic and demand. - FY2022-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「In the food-service industry, sales had been recovering gradually after the state of emergency and the priority preventive measures to prevent the spread of disease were lifted at the end of September. However, the environment surrounding the industry remains challenging due to the emergence of new variants, continued restraint on going out and dining together, changes in working styles typified by the shift to working from home, changes in customer consumption behavior, soaring food-material prices and labor shortages.」
The disclosure indicates that sales recovered after restrictions were lifted, while the emergence of new variants, calls to refrain from going out and dining socially, and continuing changes in working styles and spending behavior kept the industry environment challenging. - FY2021WorsenedAnnual report
「Izakaya restaurants have been affected by intensifying competition among companies, including those in other industries, changes in customer spending behavior, and a decline in banquets, as well as changes in working styles, typified by the shift to working from home, and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially.」
In addition to longstanding changes in spending behavior and preferences, the disclosure identifies the decline in banquets, the shift to working from home, and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially as factors affecting izakaya demand. - FY2021-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「However, sales began declining again from late November as the third wave of infections arrived. Izakaya restaurants in particular continued to face extremely challenging conditions due to renewed requests from local authorities to shorten business hours and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially.」
The disclosure states that the third wave of infections, renewed requests to shorten business hours, and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially again had a significant impact on izakaya customer traffic and sales through changes in spending behavior. - FY2021-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「Izakaya restaurants continued to face challenging conditions due to intensifying competition among companies, including those in other industries, and changes in customer spending behavior, as well as changes in working styles, typified by the shift to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially.」
In addition to intensifying competition and changes in spending behavior, the disclosure continues to describe the impact on izakaya demand of the shift to working from home and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially. - FY2021-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「Izakaya restaurants continued to face extremely challenging conditions due to intensifying competition among companies, including those in other industries, and changes in customer spending behavior, as well as changes in working styles, typified by the shift to working from home, and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially.」
In addition to the traditional risks associated with changes in consumer preferences and behavior, the disclosure describes the impact on izakaya demand of the shift to working from home and calls to refrain from going out and dining socially. - FY2020-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「The nine-month period ended 31 December remained challenging due to the effects of unseasonable weather and natural disasters, delays in responding to changes in customer preferences and behavior, and declining service quality.」
Delays in responding to changes in customer preferences and behavior and declining service quality, together with the effects of unseasonable weather and natural disasters, continued to contribute to the challenging conditions. - FY2020-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「The Group has worked to encourage customers to choose its restaurants and visit them, and to earn their thanks. However, the consolidated cumulative period through the second quarter remained challenging due to the effects of unfavorable weather, delays in responding to changes in customer preferences and behavior patterns, and a decline in service capabilities.」
In addition to unfavorable weather, delays in responding to changes in customer preferences and behavior patterns and a decline in service capabilities were cited as factors behind the challenging conditions. - FY2019RestatedAnnual report
「Across all of its business formats, the Group continues to evolve and expand by constantly incorporating new ideas while gathering information on market needs and consumer preferences. However, if market needs and consumer preferences change more rapidly than the Group anticipates and the ability of its restaurants to attract customers declines, its operating results and financial position could be affected.」
The company continues to address the risk of declining customer traffic due to changes in market needs and consumer preferences by gathering information and updating its business formats. - FY2018First statedAnnual report
「Across all of its business formats, the Group continues to evolve and expand by constantly incorporating new ideas while gathering information on market needs and consumer preferences. However, if market needs and consumer preferences change more rapidly than the Group anticipates and the ability of its restaurants to attract customers declines, its operating results and financial position could be affected.」
The company identifies a decline in the ability of its restaurants to attract customers due to market needs and consumer preferences changing more than anticipated as a business-format operating risk separate from the existing risks of economic conditions and consumer thrift.