(The photo is for illustrative purposes only.)
Japanese convenience stores rank first among Japanese businesses favored by foreign tourists, but their roots do not lie in Japan.
Convenience stores originated in the United States and entered Japan in the 1970s, where they evolved in their own unique way.
There are many things that originated abroad, came to Japan, and evolved in their own unique way in Japan. Ramen and curry rice are two examples.
Food and culture that crossed over to the far eastern island nation of Japan underwent a distinctive evolution in the unique environment of Japan.
Returning to convenience stores, how did they evolve in Japan?
Japanese convenience stores are not just “convenient retail stores”; they have undergone a unique evolution. Some of their distinctive features are as follows:
Japanese convenience stores do not just sell food and daily necessities, but also offer services such as utility bill payment, delivery service reception, ATMs, ticket issuance, and even administrative procedure support. This role as a “place where you can do anything” is very different from convenience stores in other countries.
In urban areas of Japan, convenience stores are densely located, with one every few hundred meters. Many stores are open 24 hours a day, providing convenient access to daily necessities even in the middle of the night.
The quality of boxed lunches ”BENTO", prepared foods, and rice balls is extremely high, with major convenience store chains competing to develop new products. Recently, there has been an increase in health-conscious products and regionally limited menus, creating a lineup that rivals that of high-end supermarkets.
Japanese convenience stores have evolved from mere “convenient stores” to “infrastructure that supports local communities.”
We are now supporting overseas franchises of convenience stores other than Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart.
These convenience stores are limited to certain areas of Japan, where they are more popular with local residents than major convenience stores with nationwide chains.
Opening a convenience store in your country requires securing a distribution network for daily necessities and quickly establishing a store network of a certain size.In other words, a different business strategy is required than operating a single restaurant franchise.
If you are interested in opening a Japanese convenience store in your country, please contact us.