About floortok
About floortok
About floortok
floortok is an independent, bilingual publication of news and data analytics for the leaders, investors and operators shaping Japan's luxury market, across fashion, food and hospitality.
Japan's luxury market moves on details that rarely travel: a department store's monthly sales flash, a floor renewal, a new tower in Nihonbashi, a shift in visitor arrivals. Much of it is published only in Japanese, scattered across company releases and government tables. floortok brings it together, every day, in English and Japanese.
What readers get
- A live news wire of first-hand retail and luxury announcements, updated daily.
- The Journal: original reporting and analysis from the floortok desk.
- On the Floor: floor-by-floor brand intelligence on Japan's key department stores and malls.
- Japan market data drawn from official statistics: department-store sales, luxury imports, visitor arrivals and spending, hotel occupancy and more.
- Earnings from the global luxury groups and Japan's retailers, plus a calendar of openings, pop-ups and exhibitions.
- A free account to save the brands and buildings you follow, on any device.
How we work. We report only from first-hand sources and attribute everything. floortok is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any brand, retailer, department store or mall it covers.
About the Founder
Richard Gustafson, Founder
Richard Gustafson has spent more than 30 years at the center of Japan's luxury and retail business, with some of the world's most admired brands, including LVMH and Apple, as well as Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Marc Jacobs. He has served as a market and regional CEO and senior executive, leading brands, stores and teams across Japan and Asia Pacific.
Today Richard also advises brands and startups as an independent corporate advisor. He is based in the Greater Tokyo area.
Why we built floortok
For thirty years I made decisions about Japan's luxury market from the inside. The information behind those decisions was always scattered across Japanese-only releases, sales flashes and government tables that few people outside Japan ever read.
My team and I built floortok to change that. It's for the leaders, investors and operators who need an accurate read on Japan.
— Richard Gustafson
RG Partners
Alongside floortok, Richard runs RG Partners, an independent advisory for founders and C-suite executives. He is a trusted, unbiased outside voice who finds the real problem and helps solve it.
- Brand and customer experience. Strategic brand advice built around what customers actually experience.
- AI strategy and organizational change. Business-led AI strategy, and how to bring the organization with it.
- Beyond luxury. Sectors such as sports and healthcare, where customer experience, branding and marketing are often overlooked, and where product development and retail can open new revenue streams.
Brand experience
Common questions
What is floortok?
floortok is an independent, bilingual publication covering Japan's retail and luxury market — its department stores, malls, and the maisons inside them. It publishes a live news wire, an original Journal of reporting and analysis, floor-by-floor brand intelligence on Japan's key stores, and a room of Japan market data drawn from official statistics.
Is floortok available in Japanese?
Yes. Every page on floortok is fully bilingual in English and Japanese, and you can switch language at any time from the language toggle.
Where does floortok's information come from?
floortok reports only from first-hand, primary sources — company and brand announcements, official store guides, and government statistics — and attributes everything. Where another outlet has the story, floortok links to it rather than reproducing it. Market data is drawn from a wide range of official sources. Our in-house data processing lets us cross-analyze and report on it in ways that aren't easily replicated.
Who is floortok for?
floortok is written for retail and luxury professionals — brand head offices, department-store and mall operators, developers and analysts — following the Japanese market, and for anyone who needs an accurate, current read on Japan's consumer economy.
How often is floortok updated?
Daily. The news wire refreshes on a scheduled routine, and the desk publishes new Journal reporting and refreshes Japan market data as figures are released.
Is floortok affiliated with the brands and stores it covers?
No. floortok is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any brand, retailer, department store or mall named on the site.