MR TICKLE and Mr Bump are leaping into bed with Hello Kitty. Sanrio, the owner of the bow-adorned feline, said on December 6th that it had acquired the Mr Men franchise from Chorion of Britain. The deal, for an estimated 3 billion ($40m), brings the Japanese design and licensing firm 86 playful characters who have delighted toddlers in 30 countries and shifted 100m books.
Corporate Japan is on an overseas shopping spree. Japanese firms spent a record $80 billion on some 620 foreign companies in 2011, according to Dealogic, a firm that measures such things (see chart), exceeding the previous record of 466 deals worth $75 billion in 2008. When Japan Inc went shopping abroad in the 1980s, it was a sign of strength. Japanese companies were spreading their wings because they were growing. This time, it is a symptom of weakness.
The past year in Japan has been wretched. An earthquake and tsunami in March wrecked factories and disrupted supply chains, creating shortages of all sorts of crucial components. Radiation fears hurt exports. A strong yen walloped profits. Floods in Thailand interrupted the distribution of electronics and car parts. Corporate-governance scandals cast a black cloud over blue suits nationwide.
The Japanese population is ageing and shrinking.shop hello kitty The economy is sluggish. Consumption is lacklustre
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ArticleTitle:Japanese firms shop abroad
ArticleUrl:http://www.kitty-blog.com/catsshop/195.html
