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Tag: FamilyMart

  • FamilyMart Japan investing in New Labour Technology

    FamilyMart Japan investing in New Labour Technology

    Japanese convenience store FamilyMart Holdings is preparing to invest ¥25 billion (US$223 million) on labour-saving technologies.

    The firm will partner with tech firm Panasonic to introduce self check-out, digital displays and other similar devices which automate procedures traditionally undertaken by staff.

    The investment is intended to serve the brand’s franchisees who have been burdened with high labour costs in order to keep stores open around the clock.

    Both FamilyMart and its larger competitor 7-Eleven have felt pressured to let go of their 24-hour store policies in the face of a tightening labour market.

    They are also looking at other ways to ease the financial burden on franchisees.

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  • FamilyMart Malaysia to open 300 more stores by 2022

    FamilyMart Malaysia to open 300 more stores by 2022

    QL Resources, the Malaysian operator of Japanese convenience store chain FamilyMart, is going ahead with plans to open 300 stores by March 2022, despite a slump in the economy. The firm opened 30 FamilyMart Malaysia outlets within the last financial year and plans to reach 90 new stores for the year ending March 31, 2019.

    “We still stick to our plan to open 300 stores in five years”, said QL chairman Chia Song Kun.

    Market leadership in the territory is currently controlled by 7-Eleven Malaysia, which operates more than 2000 stores in Malaysia. A major shareholder in the firm recently announced plans to open another 200 outlets this year.

    Malaysian spending is increasingly focused on domestic trade as exports continue to be affected by the US-China trade war.

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  • FamilyMart expands Bangkok delivery service with Kerry

    FamilyMart expands Bangkok delivery service with Kerry

    Convenience store chain FamilyMart has partnered with logistics operator Kerry Express to expand its Bangkok delivery service. “Today, the e-commerce market has grown continuously for more than 20 per cent annually, and individual consumers have also had a greater demand for express delivery over the past three to five years,” said Central FamilyMart president Chiranun Poopat.

    “We have introduced Kerry Express, an express delivery service, available 24 hours a day at our FamilyMart stores in Bangkok and surrounding locations. The door-to-door express delivery will be provided to our individual customers so that they will be able to send their parcels to any locations throughout the Kingdom with fast and high-standard delivery process.”

    The new service is being promoted with a free limited-edition parcel delivery box available to customers during the Christmas period. The box will be provided to customer spending more than THB79 (US$2.42) via its express delivery service.

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  • Uny to make discount operator Don Quijote its affiliate

    Uny to make discount operator Don Quijote its affiliate

    Japanese discount store operator Don Quijote is approaching an agreement to take over 100 per cent of the Uny general merchandise store business, making it the country’s fourth-largest retailer. The firm already controls 40 per cent of the Uny business, and the acquisition of the remaining 60 per cent would add 190 locations to its network, most likely converting the existing stores into discount outlets.

    Don Quijote took sales revenue of ¥941.5 billion (US$8.35 billion) in the last financial year. Uny’s sales reached ¥712.8 billion ($6.35 billion).

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  • Japanese convenience store ready to fight new challenge

    Japanese convenience store ready to fight new challenge

    Healthcare is becoming a staple category for Japanese convenience store chains as they seek to counter the encroachment of pharmacies on their traditional product ranges.

    According reports, while Japanese drugstores are increasingly offering snacks and quick meals, convenience stores are now selling medicines and even setting up health consultation stations in stores.

    Lawson-branded stores have launched 17 in-store consultation corners and plans to expand this number to 100 locations.

    Lawson president Sadanobu Takemasu said the company wants to resolve the community issues that arise “in an age where many people live to be 100”. The service is intended to attract more families and elderly people.

    FamilyMart and Seven-Eleven convenience chains in Japan have also been found to be selling medicines, with some also offering pharmacy-style advice.

    Japanese drugstores have been increasingly expanding beyond medical products in recent years, which has paid off. The value of pharmacy industry sales has gone up five per cent in the past two years, as opposed to two per cent on convenience store sales over the same period.

    The number of pharmaceutical outlets increased 11 per cent since 2015, during which time convenience store expansion was limited to just three per cent.

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  • FamilyMart marks its 100th store in Indonesia

    FamilyMart marks its 100th store in Indonesia

    FamilyMart Indonesia has opened its 100th store with plans to continue to expand the network.

    The Japanese-founded convenience-store chain opened its first store in Indonesia in October 2012 and has so far focused on growth in the capital, Jakarta, with a small presence in areas including Depok, Tangerang, Karawang and Bekasi.

    “Our target is to have 120 stores by the end of this year,” FamilyMart Indonesia CEO Wirry Tjandra said at the opening ceremony of the 100th store, which is located at Gran Rubina in South Jakarta.

    Some of the growth has come from taking over stores previously operated by other brands.

    “We have taken over 49 stores from Starmart and 13 stores from 7-Eleven,” Tjandra said.

    FamilyMart has more than 20,000 stores across Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

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  • FamilyMart Taiwan launches digital prototype, including VR

    FamilyMart Taiwan launches digital prototype, including VR

    FamilyMart Taiwan has launched a pilot convenience store concept that incorporates a range of digital technology including robots, VR interfaces, interactive projection screens, smart shelves and blockchain applications.

    A Fujitsu Robopin communication robot is stationed at the entrance to highlight offers and in-store events, while video content about products is projected on to the doors of freezer units.

    Electronic price tags interact with POS registers to update automatically, and product information is available through QR codes and NFC(5) technology built into the price tags.

    FamilyMart says it will study the results of the prototype store with a view to rolling out the technology to other stores.

    FamilyMart Taiwan chairman Yeh Jung-ting says convenience stores need to be modernised according to the world around them, as well in preparation for workforce shortages.

    He says Family Mart still wants locations to be personable, and while there will be fewer staff, the new stores will not be devoid of staff like some 7-Eleven outlets. The idea is to add efficiency to shopping for both customers and staff.

    One of the greatest advantages will be eliminating the time spent ordering stock. Previously ordering goods took around two hours, whereas smart shelves whittle down that time to seconds.

    Ultimately, there will be 17 technological upgrades made by possible by 15 new partnerships.

  • JD.COM signs delivery deal with FamilyMart China

    JD.COM signs delivery deal with FamilyMart China

    JD.com has signed a deal with Japanese convenience-store chain FamilyMart.

    This will enable users to order goods through JD.com’s 24-hour O2O service Jing Dong Dao Jia (“Door-to-Door JD”) and have them delivered from FamilyMart’s 212 core locations in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu within 30 minutes.

    Early this year JD.com launched 7Fresh, its offline fresh-food supermarket, in Beijing. Before that, it invested in Yonghui supermarkets and formed a strategic partnership with Walmart through Jing Dong Daojia. JD.com has also invested in fresh-food delivery app Fruit Day and created a business unit dedicated to fresh food, JD Fresh.

    The e-commerce company has also established co-operations with two other Japanese convenience store chains, 7-Eleven and Lawson, as well as international brands. The company now covers nearly 1000 convenience stores.

    JD.com says that during January, all convenience stores working with it recorded three times higher sales volume than at the same time last year. For 7-Eleven stores, which joined Jing Dong Dao Jia in 2016, there was a 400 per cent increase in sales.

  • FamilyMart Japan to sell its Interests

    FamilyMart Japan to sell its Interests

    Japanese convenience store company FamilyMart Uny Holdings may sell its Hong Kong retail interests.

    Working with a financial adviser, the company is seeking about US$100 million for its three stores, insiders say.

    In Hong Kong, FamilyMart Uny runs department stores under the Apita, Piago and Uny brand names. They sell stationery, clothing and food ranging from local produce to imported chocolate, wine and wagyu beef.

    Government statistics show that sales in Hong Kong’s supermarket industry fell 0.1 per cent in the first 10 months of this year, compared with overall retail industry sales rising 1.2 per cent.

    A spokesman told the company had no plans to sell the stores at the moment.

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  • FamilyMart expands to 24hrs gym

    FamilyMart expands to 24hrs gym

    Japan’s FamilyMart is about to launch a fitness club chain, Fit & Go.

    Like its convenience stores, the gyms will be open 24 hours a day.

    Around-the-clock gyms have been growing in popularity in Japan, mainly supported by the age range of FamilyMart’s primary customer demographic, as reported. While equipment may vary, all locations will offer treadmills and weight machines, as well as personal trainers, says FamilyMart. There will also be showers.

    A certain amount of synergy is expected by the company as customers can buy workout-related items such as towels, soap and dietary supplements in the neighbouring convenience store.

    Attached to FamilyMart in Tokyo’s Ota ward, the first Fit & Go is expected to open in February.

    “While the gyms won’t have as much floor space as larger fitness centres, the aim is to provide a convenient place for people to get in a quick 30-minute workout at the start or end of their daily commute,” says Sora News 24. “It could be a great way to stay in shape, provided you don’t make a habit of rewarding yourself with a piece of FamilyMart’s fried chicken after you’re done.”

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  • Japan’s FamilyMart to go to Outer Space

    Japan’s FamilyMart to go to Outer Space

    Japan’s FamilyMart is going to great heights for promotion – in fact, as far as space.

    The Japanese convenience store franchise is joining airline JAL as a sponsor for an artificial “shooting star” project that involves a satellite dropping pellets that will make a display as they burn up on re-entering the atmosphere.

    It will be a world first produced by Ale, a company founded and run by former investment banker and mother-of-two Lena Okajima, who has a PhD in astronomy. A trial run of its satellite will likely be held in 2019 over the Setouchi (Seto Inland Sea) area of Hiroshima prefecture.

    Its pellets will be designed to burn brighter and longer than natural shooting stars in a colour of the client’s choosing. The display, lasting between five and 10 seconds, will be visible within a 100km radius.

    For its “Shooting Star Challenge”, a satellite will be placed in orbit about 500km above Australia. From there it will release pellets toward Japan. These will take about 15 minutes to fall to a height of 60km above Setouchi and begin to burn. This part of Hiroshima was chosen as the test site for its popularity, scenery and clear skies.

    A single 60cm satellite is expected to hold up to 400 pellets, which it is hoped will last until the end of the craft’s year in orbit. As well as providing a pyrotechnic display, the project will also gather data on upper-atmosphere physics.

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  • Takeover bid for FamilyMart in Philippines

    Takeover bid for FamilyMart in Philippines

    Philippine FamilyMart (PFM) may be taken over by Phoenix Petroleum as part of diversification move.

    In a disclosure to the stock exchange, Phoenix says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with SIAL CVS Retailers and its Japanese partners for a planned 100 per cent acquisition of PFM, which runs convenience stores under the FamilyMart trademark in the Philippines. The sale is subject to the approval of the Philippine Competition Commission.

    A joint venture of Ali Capital of Ayala Land and SSI Group, SIAL owns 60 per cent of PFM while Japanese companies FamilyMart and Itochu own 37.6 and 2.4 per cent respectively.

    FamilyMart Philippines went up for auction early this month, attracting potential buyers such as businessman Jerry Liu who owns Angel’s Pizza and Figaro Coffee, businessman Lowell Yu who owns Kuya J Restaurant and Landers membership shopping.

    Phoenix Petroleum says the potential acquisition will complement its retail fuel business, with 518 stations nationwide, and marks its entry into the domestic convenience retail market. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.

    President/CEO Dennis Uy this year finalised a deal to acquire a 177ha logistics hub, Global Gateway Logistics City, in Clark City.

    Ayala Land and SSI Group teamed up with two Japanese firms in 2012 to bring FamilyMart to the Philippines. With 67 stores in Luzon, PFM offers ready-to-eat and fast-food items, convenience products, auto-loading, bills payment and ATM services.

  • FamilyMart Taiwan deploys e-wallet

    FamilyMart Taiwan deploys e-wallet

    FamilyMart Taiwan has launched an e-wallet known as “My FamiPay”.

    The application, launched in collaboration with Cathay United Bank (CUB) and Soft Space, integrates debit/prepaid/credit cards and other various stored value cards to facilitate in-store purchases and utility bill payments.

    Loyalty points can be seamlessly collected and used to redeem or make payments at the counter. Furthermore, the application accepts transactions from over 21 non-cash payment providers via barcode scanning.

    The application will also support pre- order purchases offered exclusively to FamilyMart customers.

    According to eMarketer, Taiwan is the most mobile country in the world with 73.4% of Taiwan’s population using smartphones.

    By using Soft Space’s e-wallet, CUB aims to offer tailored financial and digital services, while FamilyMart Taiwan’s members can benefit from CUB’s extensive client list.

    Soft Space also plans to offer analysis services for FamilyMart Taiwan and CUB to embark on big data analytics.

    Further plans include making the “MyFamiPay” app available to a third party payment processor that allows business owners to accept money online seamlessly.

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  • FamilyMart Philippines chain up for auction

    FamilyMart Philippines chain up for auction

    FamilyMart Philippines convenience-store chain, partly owned by the Ayala and Tantoco groups, is up for auction.

    With about 70 stores, the Japanese chain has been offered to prospective investors in the past few months.

    Ayala Land and the Rustan’s group, via their equally owned JV firm Sial CVS Retailers, in 2012 signed a deal with FamilyMart and Itochu Corporation to develop and run FamilyMart convenience stores in the Philippines.
    FamilyMart has been closing unprofitable stores over the past 12 months.

    In the convenience store market in past six years, new brands have been challenging 7-Eleven and MiniStop, respectively run by Philippine Seven Corporation (PSC) and Robinsons Retail Holdings.

    Aside from FamilyMart, the Puregold group also brought Japan’s Lawson into the market while the SM group introduced Indonesian brand Alfamart. Meanwhile, real-estate magnate Manuel Villar has also built his own convenience-store network, All Day.

    To date, the two original brands still lead the market, with 7-Eleven surpassing 2000 outlets while Mini-Stop has at least 500 stores.

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  • Thailand, China tie-up for Japan’s FamilyMart UNY?

    Thailand, China tie-up for Japan’s FamilyMart UNY?

    FamilyMart UNY Holdings, Japan’s second-largest convenience store chain, is considering partnering with China’s Citic and Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group.

    The companies are looking at opportunities beyond convenience stores, says FamilyMart UNY president Koji Takayanagi.

    FamilyMart UNY has forecast it will more than double its profit to ¥100 billion (US$901 million) in four years from ¥41.2 billion in the current fiscal year. This will be driven by converting its Circle K and Sunkus stores into more profitable FamilyMart outlets, says Takayanagi.

    “There is plenty of room for growth,” he says of the company, which also runs supermarkets and general stores. While FamilyMart is profitable in China and Taiwan, it is reviewing its loss-making businesses in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. “If we can get them to rally we will, but we cannot continue to pour in resources,” Takayanagi says.

    While rival Seven & I Holdings, which owns Japan’s largest convenience store chain 7-Eleven, expands overseas, FamilyMart will stay focussed on the domestic market. “It is easier to achieve results domestically and we know what we need to do,” says Takayanagi.

    Japan’s worsening labour shortage, which is leaving convenience stores scrambling to find workers, will force companies to adapt and innovate, he says. Even the country’s declining birthrate and aging population does not phase him. “Even if the amount an individual eats declines, if we offer items with added value people will buy them.”

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