Core Viewpoint - Suntory has announced price increases for 187 products starting April 1, 2026, following a projected decline in net profit for the year. This price adjustment affects various categories, including whisky, shochu, and imported wine, primarily targeting suggested retail prices rather than factory prices [2][3]. Group 1: Price Increase Details - The price increase follows a previous adjustment in April 2023, where 234 products were affected, indicating that Suntory has completed price hikes across all product categories [2]. - Notable whisky brands such as Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Hibiki will see price increases ranging from 5.6% to 15.3%, with high-aged products like Hibiki 30 Year, Yamazaki 25 Year, and Hakushu 25 Year seeing a suggested retail price of approximately RMB 20,777 per bottle, reflecting an increase of about RMB 2,753.5 [2]. - Other products like Yamazaki 18 Year, Hakushu 18 Year, and Hibiki 21 Year will have their prices raised by approximately RMB 300.5 per bottle, reaching around RMB 3,055.46 [2]. Group 2: Financial Performance - Suntory reported a revenue of RMB 58.172 billion for the first three quarters of 2025, showing little change from the previous year, while operating profit fell by 9.2% to RMB 5.757 billion. The third quarter alone saw a profit decline of 9.9% [3]. - The company has lowered its profit forecast, expecting a consolidated net profit of approximately RMB 3.9 billion for the fiscal year ending December 2025, a decrease of about 10% year-on-year [3]. - The European market was the only region to show growth, with revenue and profit increasing by 5.1% and 8.3%, respectively, while profits in the Asia-Pacific region and Japan experienced double-digit declines [3][4]. Group 3: Market Challenges - Suntory's growth in China has been hindered, with the company increasingly relying on non-alcoholic beverages like oolong tea, which has led to market share erosion due to intense competition [5]. - The company has faced challenges in innovation and market penetration, particularly in the convenience store channel, which limits deeper market access [5]. - Sales of alcoholic products, particularly whisky, have contracted in China, failing to compensate for the overall performance decline [5]. Group 4: Management Changes - A significant management change occurred when former chairman Takashi Shina resigned on September 1, 2023, due to allegations of violating cannabis control laws, which has raised concerns in the industry [6].

Core Insights - Shiseido Group faces significant challenges, with a notable decline in performance across all regions, particularly in China and travel retail markets, which experienced double-digit drops compared to the previous year [1][2][5] Financial Performance - For the first half of 2025, Shiseido Group reported net sales of 469.83 billion yen (approximately 22.846 billion RMB), a year-on-year decrease of 7.6% [1][2] - Core operating profit increased by 21.3% to 23.372 billion yen (approximately 1.137 billion RMB), while operating profit recovered from a loss of 2.728 billion yen (approximately 133 million RMB) to 18.084 billion yen (approximately 880 million RMB) [1][2] - The decline in net sales is attributed mainly to weak performance in the Chinese and travel retail markets, as well as the impact of the Drunk Elephant brand [2][5] Market Performance - The overall net sales decline of 8% in the first half of 2025 marks the first drop for Shiseido in three years [2][5] - The Japanese market saw the smallest decline at -0.6%, while the Chinese and travel retail markets experienced the largest drop at -12.4% [2][5] - In the second quarter, all markets except for the Americas and travel retail showed low single-digit growth, with travel retail down approximately 20% [2][5] Brand Performance - The Drunk Elephant brand significantly impacted overall performance, with a 43% year-on-year decline in Q2 and a 57% drop in the first half of 2025 [10][12] - Despite challenges, the Shiseido and NARS brands showed growth when excluding the impact of the Chinese and travel retail markets, with Shiseido brand sales increasing by 4% [12][19] - The Next 5 brands, particularly ELIXIR, demonstrated double-digit growth in the second quarter and the first half of 2025 [10][12] Regional Insights - Shiseido's performance in the Chinese market is affected by economic downturns leading to low consumer spending, with offline channels continuing to decline [16][19] - The Americas market is facing challenges, particularly for the Drunk Elephant brand, while other brands like Shiseido and NARS have seen some growth [23][31] - The company has announced significant layoffs in the Americas region as part of restructuring efforts [26][31]