It seems that we are seeing more examples of Jitensha Sogyou as per last article where such stores have to continually expand to offset their P&L until they eventually hit the wall.
so CFS has hit the wall and Hac is taking the chance to absorb more to gain from scale of economies?? (we see similar patterns in the food industry for one)

This does remind me that original Capitalist theory of Karl Marx predicted the ultimate collapse of the capitalism exactly for this reason, where the need for constant expansion leads to collapse and society/business moves into a stage of communism…..

This final stage is of course being avoided by fiscal policy and swings in govt control but its significant that several of the worlds economies have been long deregulated and 20years later find only monopolies left standing (once the fires of deregulation lay waste to all the competition that was newly inspired in the first place)

The fact that Japan actually does try to preserve the livelihood of the supplier, the butcher the baker and the candlestick maker is one reason I remain in the country. Other countries have sold the family silverware under the cry of the “shareholders rights” and are a wasteland for cheap crap products, MTV culture and politically numbed enuff to stand by and let thugs like Bush run rampant over fundamental rights.

ok, i digressed a bit…..
please keep us updated on the case