By Francis Chan

JUST like the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, Japanese restaurant group Japan Foods Holdings is moving fast.

Chief executive Takahashi Kenichi, 52, has been taking the high-speed route, opening seven new restaurants in Singapore over the past eight months.

It has certainly been quite a ride since The Straits Times first spoke to Mr Takahashi last February.

The engineer turned restaurateur had then just listed the company, which he founded in 1997, on Catalist, the Singapore Exchange's second board.

At the time, the group operated 21 restaurants in Singapore under various brands such as Ajisen Ramen and Aji Tei.

Many business experts questioned the timing of the listing, given that the global economy seemed to be in the abyss and Singapore was in the grip of recession.

But Mr Takahashi was happy to buck the trend then, and continues to do so by opening those seven new outlets here despite the onslaught of severe economic headwinds.

'Even in this economic downturn, we see opportunities to grow our restaurant network and brand portfolio, albeit at a measured pace,' said Mr Takahashi.

'The group will leverage on the experience gained from the operation of the Ajisen Ramen franchise and, together with the popularity of our new F&B brands, strengthen our foothold in the local F&B industry.'

After its listing in February, Japan Foods opened Manpuku, a Japanese-themed food court at Tampines 1, a shopping mall in eastern Singapore.

In July, upmarket ION Orchard became the location for its first ramen restaurant under the Aoba brand, while another under the Botejyu brand opened its doors at Orchard Central.

Two dessert eateries under the Fruit Paradise brand - one at Orchard Central and another at Raffles City Shopping Centre - were introduced between July and last month.

Japan Foods' Osaka Town, launched in August at Raffles City Shopping Centre, was based on its successful Japanese Gourmet Town concept at VivoCity, said Mr Takahashi.

Osaka Town, he said, houses other Japan Foods brands such as Botejyu and Hokkyokusei, so customers can enjoy authentic Osaka dishes under one roof.

'Our mixed-concept restaurants have been well-received by consumers as they get to savour different varieties of Japanese fare in one restaurant,' he added.

'This concept also allows us to mix and match our various F&B brands to cater to different target consumer groups.'

Japan Foods will also add to its existing network of 16 Ajisen Ramen restaurants, the first brand it introduced here 12 years ago.

A new Ajisen Ramen restaurant at City Square in Kitchener Link is due to open this month.

Japan Foods recorded $2.7 million in net profit for the 12 months to March 31, slightly down from $2.85 million last year, but Mr Takahashi remains hopeful of positive returns for the year.

'We are unable to provide any forecast for this year, but at this point, we are still on track in meeting our performance targets,' he said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.