Japanese Convenience – with FamilyMart
Japan is home to three of the five biggest c-store chains of the world: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson.
In this special episode of Shop Talk LIVE, pre-recorded due to the time difference, FamilyMart executive Hidenori Tsunematsu presents on the Japanese convenience retail market and shares an insight into NACS member FamilyMart’s business.
He talks with Dan Munford and co-host Scott Annan about the scale of their business, at over 24 thousand stores, their innovative formats, how food drives the offer and some of their key initiatives, concluding with an view into the future speaking about their trial of a new store operation platform centered on remote-controlled robot technology.
FamilyMart
FamilyMart with 16,658 stores is the second largest convenience retailer in Japan, behind 7-Eleven and ahead of Lawson. It is Japan’s home-grown retailer as both 7-Eleven and Lawson originated in the USA. FamilyMart acquired the fourth retailer Circle K-Sunkus in 2016. FamilyMart also retails in over 8,000 stores in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and The Philippines. It withdrew from the USA in 2015.
There are over 50,000 convenience stores across Japan. The ‘big 3’ retail both corporate and franchised stores: the consumer will not see any difference in operation. All core functions such as assortment, distribution, marketing, proprietary brands and technology are managed centrally. There is no wholesaler participation and suppliers are not permitted to visit stores. Japanese c-stores are famous for their fresh, proprietary day-part food which often delivers a 50% sales contribution. Most stores receive 3 fresh deliveries daily and are open 24/7, facilitating true day-part meal choices.
Japan also has a lead on advanced operational efficiency technologies and cashless payments, co-hosts Dan Munford and Scott Annan explore this and Japan’s retail business model and the role of suppliers alongside Hidenori.
Global Convenience Store Focus would like to thank Liquid Barcodes, Shopworks, LIFEBRANDS, Invenco and Fri-Jado for their continued support of Shop Talk LIVE.
