Baskin-Robbins Japan

Baskin-Robbins Japan is the Japanese business and retail expression of the global Baskin-Robbins ice-cream brand. In Japan, the brand is commonly called サーティワンアイスクリーム or サーティーワン, reflecting the familiar “31” identity associated with Baskin-Robbins’ historical promise of offering a different flavor for every day of the month. The Japanese business is operated by B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd., a company established in 1973 to develop the brand in Japan through a relationship involving Baskin-Robbins and Fujiya. The first Japanese store opened in Tokyo in 1974. From the beginning, the business adapted an American-style specialty ice-cream concept to Japanese retail conditions. Rather than relying only on packaged take-home products, it emphasized parlors and counter-service stores where customers could sample flavors, choose among scoops and cones, and buy visually distinctive cakes and seasonal desserts. This format helped establish ice cream as an occasion-based treat as well as a family retail purchase. The brand’s core proposition is variety. Its stores generally present a rotating selection of flavors, including permanent standards, limited-time flavors, collaborations and seasonal recipes. Popular formats include single and double scoops, cups, cones, sundaes, ice-cream cakes, take-home packs and products designed for birthdays or celebrations. The company has also developed Japanese-market promotions and product presentations around events such as Halloween, Christmas, New Year and spring gift-giving periods. Baskin-Robbins Japan operates through a network that includes directly managed and franchised locations in shopping centers, roadside sites, food courts and other high-traffic retail environments. Its Japanese marketing frequently uses limited-time flavors, collectible merchandise, digital coupons and promotional days to encourage repeat visits. The brand is particularly visible during its recurring May 9 “31” promotion, although the precise offer can vary by year and campaign conditions. The Japanese operation is distinct from a simple imported-product business. It manages local store development, franchise relationships, menus, promotions, supply arrangements and product adaptation for Japan while using the international Baskin-Robbins identity. B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. is a publicly traded Japanese company, but the consumer-facing brand remains Baskin-Robbins, presented in Japan under the サーティワン name. Its present business is focused on specialty ice-cream retail, celebration products and related food-service experiences across Japan.

Baskin-Robbins was founded in the United States by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins and built its identity around a broad flavor assortment and the idea that customers could enjoy a different flavor for each day of the month. The brand later expanded internationally through licensing, franchising and local operating companies. Japan became one of its important overseas markets, but the Japanese business developed its own corporate and commercial structure rather than functioning merely as an importer. B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. was established in 1973 to develop Baskin-Robbins in Japan. The Japanese partnership involved Baskin-Robbins and Fujiya, a long-established Japanese confectionery and food company. The first Japanese Baskin-Robbins store opened in Tokyo in 1974. The business introduced a specialty ice-cream parlor format in a market where ice cream was already familiar but dedicated branded retail was still developing. Store counters, flavor sampling, colorful displays and the ability to select from many flavors became important parts of the customer experience. During its expansion, the company used a mixture of company-operated and franchised stores. Locations were placed in shopping centers, suburban retail areas, roadside premises, food courts and other places with strong family and leisure traffic. This distribution model allowed the brand to reach customers beyond major city centers while keeping the store experience relatively standardized. The Japanese name サーティワンアイスクリーム became more prominent in consumer communication, while the Baskin-Robbins identity continued to supply the international brand framework. Product development in Japan has combined globally recognizable Baskin-Robbins formats with local merchandising and seasonal demand. Scoops, cups, cones and sundaes remain the basic products, but ice-cream cakes and other celebration items have become particularly important. Limited-time flavors, holiday designs, character collaborations and gift-oriented packaging provide reasons for customers to visit repeatedly. Campaigns connected with spring, summer, Halloween, Christmas and birthdays allow the company to treat ice cream as both an everyday indulgence and an event product. The company’s “31” identity also supports recurring promotional activity. May 9 is commonly used for a major 31-themed promotion, with the exact offer changing over time. Digital membership, coupons, mobile ordering and online product information have supplemented the traditional store-counter model, although the physical parlor remains central to the brand. B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. became a publicly traded Japanese company, with its shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under code 2268. The listed company is responsible for the Japanese business, including store operations, franchising, product sales and brand marketing. Corporate ownership and international brand relationships have evolved over time as the global Baskin-Robbins business has changed hands, but the Japanese consumer proposition has remained focused on variety, novelty, family occasions and accessible specialty ice cream. Today, Baskin-Robbins Japan is an active national retail brand with a substantial store network and a business model centered on scooped ice cream, celebration cakes, take-home products, seasonal launches and promotional traffic. Its importance in Japan comes not only from the international name but also from decades of local operating experience, localized merchandising and the strong recognition of サーティワン as a standalone ice-cream destination.

• 1996

  Shares listed on the Japanese stock market

  [3]B-R 31 Ice Cream investor relations31ice.co.jp

  B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. became a listed Japanese company. The company’s shares are identified by securities code 2268.

• 1974

  First Japanese store opens

  [2]B-R 31 Ice Cream corporate information31ice.co.jp

  The first Japanese Baskin-Robbins store opened in Tokyo, introducing the brand’s specialty ice-cream parlor format to the Japanese market.

• 1973

  Japanese operating company established

  [2]B-R 31 Ice Cream corporate information31ice.co.jp

  B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. was established in Japan as the local company associated with the Baskin-Robbins business, with participation from Morinaga & Co. and the Baskin-Robbins organization.

• 31-themed promotional days established

  [1]Baskin-Robbins Japan official website31ice.co.jp

  The Japanese brand developed recurring promotions tied to the number 31, including a major annual May 9 campaign whose mechanics vary by year.

• Nationwide franchise expansion

  [1]Baskin-Robbins Japan official website31ice.co.jp

  The Japanese business developed a broad retail footprint through franchised and company-linked stores in shopping centers, roadside locations, supermarkets, and other commercial sites.

• Product range broadened beyond scoops

  [1]Baskin-Robbins Japan official website31ice.co.jp

  The brand expanded its Japanese offering to include ice-cream cakes, take-home products, sundaes, drinks, gift items, and seasonal products.

• Digital customer services introduced

  [1]Baskin-Robbins Japan official website31ice.co.jp

  Membership, coupon, digital ordering, and other customer-contact services were added to complement the physical store network.

A mass-premium specialty ice-cream retailer positioned around flavor variety, customization, seasonal novelty and celebratory occasions. An accessible premium, experience-led ice-cream chain combining Baskin-Robbins’ international identity with a highly localized Japanese franchise, product, and promotional system. A mass-premium specialty ice-cream retailer positioned around flavor variety, customization, seasonal novelty and celebratory occasions, combining Baskin-Robbins’ international identity with a highly localized Japanese franchise, product, and promotional system.

• Core ice cream

  Scoops, cups and cones

  The core store product is a customer-selected serving of ice cream. Customers can generally choose among multiple flavors and order single or multiple scoops in a cup or cone. The rotating assortment, sampling-oriented service and combination of standard and limited-time flavors express the brand’s central variety proposition.

• Celebration desserts

  Ice-cream cakes

  Ice-cream cakes are a major celebration-oriented line in Japan. They combine frozen ice cream with decorative designs and are marketed for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other gatherings. Designs and available varieties may change according to season, collaboration and inventory. Ice-cream cakes are a major occasion-based category in Japan. They combine layered or molded ice cream with decorative toppings and character or seasonal designs. The products are positioned for birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and other celebrations, and are commonly sold through advance reservations and in-store ordering.

• Limited-time products

  Seasonal and limited-time flavors

  The Japanese business regularly introduces temporary flavors and seasonal recipes to create novelty and repeat visits. These products can be connected with summer, Halloween, Christmas, spring occasions or promotional campaigns. Availability is normally time-limited and may differ by store. Limited-time flavors and seasonal assortments are central to the brand’s Japanese merchandising. They create regular reasons to revisit stores and allow the company to align products with holidays, local events, campaigns, collaborations, and changing consumer tastes.

• Take-home ice cream

  Take-home packs

  Take-home formats allow customers to purchase multiple servings for households and gatherings. They extend the brand beyond the immediate store visit and are used for sharing, gifting and celebrations. Packaging, sizes and specific product names are subject to change.

• Ice cream · 1973

  Scooped ice cream

  The core product is ice cream served by the scoop in cones or cups. Customers can select from a rotating range of standard, seasonal, and limited-time flavors. The assortment and availability vary by store and period, allowing the chain to maintain the variety associated with its 31-flavor positioning.

• Packaged and take-home ice cream

  Take-home ice cream

  Take-home formats allow customers to purchase multiple flavors for later consumption or sharing. These products extend the brand beyond the immediate scoop-shop visit and are used for family occasions, gifts, and at-home desserts.

• Ice-cream desserts and beverages

  Sundaes, parfaits, and drinks

  The Japanese menu also includes composed desserts and beverage-style products built around ice cream. Sundaes, parfait-style offerings, and drinks provide alternatives to a simple cone or cup and support seasonal menus, limited-time launches, and impulse purchases.

• May 9 31 promotion

  Japan

  Baskin-Robbins Japan uses May 9 as a recurring 31-themed promotional occasion. The campaign leverages the brand’s numerical identity and may include discounts, special offers or digital promotions depending on the year.

  Outcome. The program reinforces the brand’s association with the number 31 and creates a predictable annual traffic occasion. No specific financial outcome is stated here.

  Source
• Seasonal holiday promotions

  Japan

  The brand conducts seasonal merchandising and promotions around events such as Halloween, Christmas, New Year and birthdays, often pairing limited products with gift or celebration packaging.

  Outcome. These activities support occasion-based purchasing and product rotation. Specific annual results are not provided.

  Source

• 1974

  Launch of the Japanese specialty-store formatStrategy

  Background

  The brand entered Japan with a dedicated parlor concept rather than relying solely on packaged distribution.

  Action taken

  The first Japanese store opened in Tokyo, offering counter-service ice cream with a broad flavor selection.

  Aftermath

  The store model became the basis for subsequent company-operated and franchised expansion.

  Source

• 1973

  Establishment of a dedicated Japanese operating companyStrategy

  Background

  Baskin-Robbins required a local structure to develop stores, franchising, supply and marketing in Japan.

  Action taken

  B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. was established with participation from Baskin-Robbins and Fujiya.

  Aftermath

  The structure enabled the brand to open its first Japanese store and build a long-term domestic retail network.

  Source

• Expansion through franchised and company-operated storesStrategy

  Background

  National growth required a distribution model suited to shopping centers, roadside locations, food courts and other retail environments.

  Action taken

  The Japanese company developed a mixed store network supported by franchise partners and directly managed locations.

  Aftermath

  The model broadened national reach while preserving a recognizable store and product experience.

  Source

• Development of celebration and seasonal productsStrategy

  Background

  Ice cream demand in Japan includes strong occasion-based purchasing for birthdays, holidays and gifts.

  Action taken

  The company expanded emphasis on ice-cream cakes, take-home formats, limited-time flavors and seasonal campaigns.

  Aftermath

  The brand broadened its role from an impulse treat to a product used for celebrations and group occasions.

  Source

• Baskin-Robbins Japan operates the annual 31 promotional program[1]Baskin-Robbins Japan official website31ice.co.jp

  Campaign

  The Japanese business has repeatedly used May 9, associated with the number 31, as a major promotional occasion. Offers and participation conditions are revised from year to year, so the campaign should be checked on the company’s current promotions page.

1. 1Baskin-Robbins Japan official website31ice.co.jp
2. 2B-R 31 Ice Cream corporate information31ice.co.jp
3. 3B-R 31 Ice Cream investor relations31ice.co.jp
4. 4Baskin-Robbins official global websitebaskinrobbins.com