How Japan’s top marketplaces are selling out
Tamako Market is selling out of its first-run chocolate, but Japan’s biggest chocolate producers say they have enough chocolate to satisfy demand for it for at least another three months.
The country’s top chocolate producer, Toho Co., said on Tuesday it sold 2.8 billion servings of the coveted product, or more than three times its average daily consumption.
“We expect to sell out in less than three months, and we are looking forward to the demand being satisfied within the next three months,” the company said in a statement.
The marketplaces, which sell more than 1.5 billion tonnes of the delicacy, started trading on Tuesday, with the first batch of the product on sale on March 23.
They were expected to open in mid-April.
The new products come with chocolate-infused products, including sweet chocolate bars, and have been offered at a discount compared to the average chocolate price of around ¥600 ($0.82).
Tokyo-based producer Takanori Ichikawa said last month he expects to have enough supply to meet demand.
Toho Co. and other producers said they planned to offer a chocolate-based premium chocolate product this year, and Takanoshi has started offering a limited-edition chocolate bar that can be used in restaurants.
Takanori is selling about 80 million kilograms of the popular sweet chocolate to consumers across the country every day, and the company has a backlog of around 80 million bars.
Tekyo Co., which produces more than 100 varieties of chocolate, has also been selling more chocolate bars than its competitors, the company’s chief executive said last week.
“Teko is also offering a chocolate bar with different types of chocolate,” Takao Yoshihara said at a conference.
The price of Takanoshis chocolate bars has been slashed in recent years, and they are also selling for less than their Japanese counterparts.
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