Weak Currency May Be Existential Threat to Iconic 100-Yen Shops

The supremacy of Japan’s 100-yen shops, long a symbol of an economy stuck with flat to falling prices for almost three decades, is beginning to crumble.

A weaker yen pushing up the cost of imported goods, spiking energy prices and climbing raw material costs are making it harder for Daiso Industries Co., Seria Co. and other 100-yen store operators to operate in an inflationary environment.