Discover the experience sharing of Benjamin Costa, Japan Director of La Maison du Chocolat.

A business leader with extensive experience bridging French and Japanese cultures answers our questions.

Mr Costa has been the Japan Director of La Maison du Chocolat for three and a half years. La Maison du Chocolat is a French high end chocolate company established in Japan since 1998.

He chose to take on this challenge in order to contribute to the development of a French company in Japan, while benefiting from a certain level of operational freedom, allowing better adaptation to the specificities of the Japanese market.

Today, the brand relies on a team of over one hundred employees and operates ten boutiques located in major cities across Japan. While online sales and corporate gifting also play an important role, the company’s core business remains its retail stores, in a country where the sense of service is truly a way of life.

Key development insights for a retail company in Japan

The brand, now very popular in Japan, has successfully adapted to local consumption habits. However, competition in this market is intense, and it is essential to constantly identify new trends in order to remain attractive, particularly to younger consumers. Launching a new collection every season is essential, but it is not sufficient on its own. To expand the customer base, an evolving and flexible marketing strategy is also required.

More generally, the retail sector is highly trend driven.

At the head of the company, Mr Costa works with an entirely Japanese team. From his arrival, he sought to involve his employees more closely in decision making, not only in how objectives should be implemented, but also in defining the best way to achieve them.

The working culture in Japan, as well as consumer expectations, differ significantly from those in other markets. As a result, relying on the skills and perspective of Japanese team members is essential to successfully develop the business.

From a management perspective, it is important to show employees that their opinions matter and to support them in bringing their ideas forward. They must be encouraged to propose new initiatives, which is not always easy in a country that values stability and tends to avoid risks associated with change. Progress must be gradual, and it is through a series of small wins that change takes hold, allowing what was once considered “not possible” to become possible.

Mr Costa explained that he began with quick wins, such as obtaining approval from headquarters to change the color of a packaging box that had long been considered untouchable. This helped demonstrate that parts of the product range could be adjusted when supported by strong arguments. Thanks to these small successes, his teams gradually began to put forward new ideas.

• Decision making : 

In Japan, decision making to validate a project can take up to ten times longer, as Japanese stakeholders need to review and approve every detail, sometimes repeatedly, before moving forward.

To keep discussions progressing and avoid endless intermediate meetings, Mr Costa summarizes the key decision points by email. This approach helps streamline exchanges and ensures that only the most essential meetings are held.

He also seeks to optimize collaboration by confirming, at the end of each meeting, that the next steps are clearly understood and that timelines are fully aligned. The objective is not to move as quickly as in France, but rather to reduce project and planning cycles as much as possible, from discussion and validation through to implementation.

• Future challenges :

Regardless of the sector, it is important to note that the Japanese have a highly developed sense of service but a commercial mindset that is quite different from ours, if not relatively underdeveloped. In retail, it is still common to see many sales staff in stores, but this does not necessarily mean greater efficiency, often due to a lack of training. However, with the challenges of an aging population and low birth rates, mindsets will need to evolve by drawing inspiration from practices abroad, with the aim of optimizing workforce size. Training will therefore become a key issue in the future, in order to manage increasingly lean teams.

Retail in the agri food sector : logistics and distribution channels

The brand’s chocolates are produced in France, where the core know how is located. However, there is also a pastry workshop in Tokyo, notably for the production of éclairs. The company has chosen to import its products directly and relies on a freight forwarder to handle all customs procedures, which are undoubtedly among the strictest in the world.

The brand is present in major department stores such as Hankyu, Newoman, Matsuya and Takashimaya, the Japanese equivalents of Galeries Lafayette in France. These venues remain a safe and effective channel for the development of luxury brands, as they enhance brand image and offer strong customer traffic, but competition is extremely intense.

In the agri food retail sector, having a physical presence is essential. Visual appeal matters, and tasting and product presentation also play a crucial role.

It is important to keep in mind that some importers look for brands to create a short term buzz, and that one year later their commercial efforts may shift in favor of a new product. As a result, it is often necessary to have a local representative to support the importer when choosing this distribution channel.

As for e commerce, it remains a limited channel for the agri food sector, accounting for only 3 percent of turnover in this segment, even though Japan is the fourth largest e-commerce market in the world.

With this channel, it is essential to ensure strong logistics services. For example, Yamato is a reliable partner for delivery.

E-commerce alone does not work, but it remains an interesting growth driver when used as a complement. It must be supported by strong commercial actions such as advertising, product demonstrations, tastings, pop up stores and physical boutiques.

To sum up, Mr Costa has given us valuable insights into how a French retail company operates in Japan. His experience was highly enriching, and we hope it will be just as insightful for all readers of this article.

Of course, there are countless experiences to share. Our Business Services team supports and advises companies throughout their entire development in Japan.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your project : business@ccifj.or.jp