Over 7,000 items at the beginning of the new year

[NHK] Christmas this year in the midst of soaring prices. "The things my child wanted were expensive, so I looked for a store where I could buy them at a low price." "My grandson...

This year's Christmas is coming in the midst of soaring prices.

"The things my child wanted were expensive, so I looked for a store where I could buy them at a low

price

Many voices were heard to realize the soaring of the price.

The November consumer price index, announced on the 23rd, rose 3.7% from the same month last year, excluding fresh food.

The rate of increase is the first level in 40 years and 11 months since December 1981.

This “price increase rush” is expected to continue into the new year.

More than 7,000 items of food and beverages will be subject to price hikes next year, according to a credit research company.

A wave of price increases for Christmas gifts...

Major toy makers have raised the prices of their products one after another since this spring.

▼Due to soaring prices of Takara Tomy

Plastics, etc., the prices of 283 items such as minicar “Tomica” and railway model “Plarail” were raised in July and 331 items in September, raising the average suggested retail price by more than 10%

▼Sony Group

Due to soaring parts prices, etc., the price of the home game console "PlayStation 5" will be raised by 5,500 yen from September, 10%.

▼Bandai

has raised the price of 284 items, including popular character "soft vinyl dolls", from October. Educational toys cost over 5,600 yen, 35% price increase

▼ Sega Toys In

September, 73 items, including plush toys, have an average price increase of about 15%

Regarding the reason for the price increase, each company said that although they have tried to reduce costs such as cost reduction, it has become difficult to respond to the soaring raw material prices by corporate efforts alone.

The plan for future price increases is undecided, and we would like to devise ways to reduce costs, such as simplifying packages and improving operational efficiency.

Yunori Minohashi from Sega Toys' public relations office said, "Our number one mission is to make children happy, so we want to continue to provide products that satisfy them by continuing to innovate without sacrificing quality." was talking

Restaurants suffering from soaring purchase prices and transportation costs

At an izakaya chain that offers menus centered on gyoza at 127 stores nationwide, soaring purchase prices and transportation costs for raw materials such as vegetables and meat are putting pressure on management, and from October this year, prices for some menus. I was forced to transfer.

On the other hand, we are also focusing on cost cutting in order to suppress the price increase as much as possible, and when ordering the necessary materials from the next day onwards, we have a system that uses AI to automatically calculate the necessary types and amounts. increase.

In addition, in order to protect the livelihoods of employees due to high prices, they are paying tens of thousands of yen as a temporary allowance once every three months.

Daisuke Obayashi, who is in charge of public relations for Dandadan, said, "We wanted to offer dumplings and alcohol at a low price, but we had no choice but to raise the prices due to rising raw material costs. We also raised the wages of our employees. I would like to continue, but it will be difficult soon, so I have no choice but to get through it in the form of a lump sum payment."

Price hikes to continue at the beginning of the year Over 7,000 food and beverage items

As of the 21st of this month, "Teikoku Databank" conducted a survey of 105 major food and beverage manufacturers in Japan and summarized the price increase movements.

The total number of food and beverage items scheduled to be raised from January to April next year is 7152, including the price increase again, which is about 1.5 times more than the same period of this year.

Next year, prices will be raised for

3,798 processed foods such as frozen foods and canned seafood, 1,442

alcoholic beverages and beverages such as imported wine, and 1,343

seasonings such as soy sauce and dressings

. It is

By month, there will be 4277 items in February next year, and it is said that there is a possibility that there will be a "price increase rush" as in October this year.

Companies to raise prices next year ``Painful decision''

Hagoromo Foods, a food manufacturer headquartered in Shizuoka Prefecture, will raise the prices of canned foods and foods in January and March next year.

Prices for 65 items, including canned tuna, the flagship product using tuna and bonito, will be raised starting from January 4th.

The rate of price increase is from 4.8% to 25%.

According to the company, the purchase price of yellowfin tuna, which is the raw material for canned food, has risen by about 1.5 times compared to last year due to factors such as the weaker yen.

In addition, the purchase price of edible oil has increased by about 1.3 times compared to last year, and the price of steel and aluminum used for cans is also rising due to soaring resource prices against the background of the weak yen.

Takayoshi Ochi, manager of Hagoromo Foods, said, "Raising prices is a difficult decision. I'm worried about how it will affect next year's sales."

Advance your schedule and raise your wages

Iwai Cosmo Securities, headquartered in Osaka with more than 800 employees, revises wages for non-managers every July. It will be held next month (January).

Approximately 180 employees in their 20s to early 30s will be eligible for base pay raises, and monthly base salaries will be uniformly raised by 1.5%.

About 280 employees in sales positions will receive a new allowance equivalent to 1.1% of their basic salary every month from next month.

In addition, the starting salary for new employees joining the company in April next year will be raised by more than 20,000 yen.

An employee in charge of sales, who is raising two daughters aged 7 and 3 with her husband, who works for another company, said, "I thought it would be a pain to increase expenses due to the price increase, so it's true that the wage increase will be brought forward. I am grateful and I feel that the company cares about its employees.I would like to use the wage increase for my daughter.It will increase my motivation for work and I would like to improve my skills. It is."

Yoshiaki Okitsu, chairman of Iwai Cosmo Securities, said, "I think young employees are particularly suffering from high prices that are directly linked to their daily lives, such as food and utility costs. Young employees are important human resources who will be responsible for the future of the company, and they are dynamic due to high prices. The most frightening thing is to lose the feeling and not to revitalize.Although raising wages ahead of schedule will increase the burden to some extent, we think that it is an investment in human resources and we can increase profits by that amount. I'm talking.

Companies that subsidize food expenses

There is a growing movement among companies to support the livelihoods of their employees by subsidizing food expenses.

A service called "Ticket Restaurant" is provided by a company in Tokyo, and recently there have been an increasing number of inquiries from companies wishing to introduce it.

This service uses a special card.

The card is charged with electronic money up to 7,560 yen each month, and employees can use the card to buy food and drinks at affiliated restaurants and convenience stores.

The amount to be charged is borne equally by the employee and the company, and the company subsidizes up to 3780 yen for the employee's food expenses.

An IT company in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, which introduced this service last month, distributed a special card to 29 out of 36 employees who requested it.

A female employee who used the card to eat at a restaurant said, "I'm happy to be able to eat what I like with this kind of meal assistance when the price of ingredients and oil has risen and my family budget is tight."

Vice President Shingo Yoshino said, "We heard that some of our employees were saving money by cutting back on the amount of food they eat or by cutting off one item, so we were thinking about how we could help the company. Our employees have also been very positive about it." I was.

What do experts think about the outlook for future prices?

We asked Shinichiro Kobayashi, Chief Researcher at Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting, about the outlook for future prices after the consumer price index rose last month for the first time in 40 years and 11 months.

3.7% increase rate.

How is it accepted?

We believe that this figure reflects the fact that the rate of increase in prices is rising further, with October at 3.6% and November at 3.7%.

If it weren't for the downward pressure on prices due to the implementation of the nationwide travel support program from October, it is estimated that the growth rate would have been around 4%.

What are the characteristics of this price hike?

The prices of familiar items such as food and energy such as electricity bills have risen in particular.

Consumers may be feeling the rise in prices more than the numbers.

How long will prices continue to rise?

December's consumer price index is likely to grow at a rate close to 4%, surpassing this year's.

After the turn of the year, the government's measures against high prices may reduce the growth rate temporarily, but I don't think prices will decline.

Since there is a possibility that electricity charges will be raised significantly from April next year, upward pressure on prices will continue to be strong for the time being.

What is required as a countermeasure against high prices?

As prices continue to rise, what is needed to keep personal consumption from cooling down is, of course, an increase in wages.

The trend of the Spring Labor Offensive at the beginning of the year and its outcome will likely be a point that will greatly affect personal consumption next year, as well as the movement of the Japanese economy as a whole next year.

Raising wages will improve the economy and improve the performance of the company, so I would like companies to persevere and consider raising wages positively.

Rather than thinking of personnel expenses as costs, positively viewing them as investments in human resources will lead to increased productivity and profitability as a company.

What impact will the revision of the Bank of Japan's large-scale monetary easing measures have on price increases and wage increases?

The yen continues to appreciate as a result of the revised monetary policy.

Import prices are kept down, which is more beneficial for consumers.

However, there is a possibility that companies will become more cautious in their actions in preparation for interest rate rises in the future, and it is necessary to keep an eye on whether this will have a negative impact on wage increases.