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Tag: Lawson

  • Lawson to open 450 stores in Japan this year

    Lawson to open 450 stores in Japan this year

    Even though Japan’s convenience store sector faces numerous challenges, the country’s second-largest operator, Lawson, plans to open another 450 stores this year, the company’s CEO has revealed.

    Genichi Tamatsuka said there are 55,000 convenience stores in Japan but the market has not yet reached saturation point.

    He sees massive potential for growth because of demographic and other social changes that are altering consumers’ buying behaviour.

    “Whereas people used to go to a big supermarket and prepare meals for a family of four or five, now they’re busier, they’re older, and they prefer to buy in a small neighbourhood store,” he explained.

    Lawson currently runs a network of 12,000 stores – soon to be expanded – and, combined with its logistical muscle, Tamatsuka expressed confidence that it would be able to meet the needs of these “combini” neighbourhood stores.

    “With our scale of 12,000 stores, our supply chain and platform, we can supply food and necessities to these neighbourhoods,” he said.

    Expansion overseas is another source of potential growth, he indicated, considering the value placed on the high level of customer service provided by Japanese retailers.

    Lawson has 500 stores in China and has also started up operations in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

    Despite Tamatsuka’s confidence, research group Euromonitor earlier this year published a more downbeat assessment of Japan’s retail landscape.

    “Japanese grocery retailers are expected to face numerous challenges imposed by such factors as changing demographics and operational difficulties,” it warned.

    However, in what could be seen as endorsement of Tamatsuka’s expansion strategy, the report went on to say, “in order to fight against such negative circumstances, grocery retailers may attempt to expand in size and diversify business portfolios”.

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  • Migros to sell private label in Japan

    Migros to sell private label in Japan

    Swiss retailer Migros is to sell private label products into two Japanese retail chains.

    Switzerland’s largest grocer, and one of the world’s 40 largest supermarket chains, is to sell lines to Lawson’s Seijo Ishii stores and Seiyu, which is Walmart’s Japan business.

    According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Migros will start with 16 premium products including Swiss Delice biscuits and iced tea, which will go on sale in 400 supermarkets trading under the Seiyu and Seijo Ishii banners.

    By 2020, Migros hopes to expand the range to 300 items, including desserts, snacks, cosmetics and skincare products, projecting sales of US$16 million annually.

    Retail research house IGD describes the move as “particularly surprising” for Seiyu, whose range already includes private label lines from Walmart’s own network, including Asda’s Extra Special wines.

    IGD describes Japan as “the most sophisticated private label market in Asia,” with strong players including Seven & I, Aeon, FamilyMart and Lawson.

    “These retailers are exploring the higher margin opportunities that premium private label ranges offer, focusing development around high quality, special ingredients and unique products.”

    Those ranges include Seven Gold and FamilyMart’s Platinum Line.

    But IGD says European influenced products are likely to appeal to shoppers’ increasingly cosmopolitan tastes, and the early line-up includes items which are mutually popular in the Swiss and Japanese markets: ice cream and iced tea.

    “Migros follows in the footsteps of European retailers Waitrose and Carrefour, whose private label products are already available in Japan through partnerships with Aeon.”

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  • Lawson Thailand targets 1000 shops

    Lawson Thailand targets 1000 shops

    Lawson Thailand, a three way partnership between the Japanese comfort retailer operator and an area Thai listed firm, says it plans to open 1000 shops throughout the nation.

    At present it has simply 40 buying and selling underneath the brandname Lawson 108, but it says it’s going to attain 1000 inside three years.

    Lawson Thailand is a three way partnership between Saha Pathanapibul Pcl and Lawson Inc of Japan.  Saha Pathanapibul is a subsidiary of Saha Group, Thailand’s largest shopper merchandise enterprise.

    The 2 corporations established a three way partnership in 2012 however progress up to now has been sluggish.

    Now they are saying they may concentrate on creating some extent of distinction between rival comfort retailer chains, such because the market dominant 7-Eleven, together with providing freshly cooked, able to eat meals.

    With 7-Eleven already working 8000 comfort shops in Thailand and Central Group’s Household Mart enterprise increasing, Lawson Thailand might face an uphill battle gaining market share, even with 1000 shops buying and selling.

  • Saha group says Japan’s Lawson stores in Thailand to rise to 1000

    Saha group says Japan’s Lawson stores in Thailand to rise to 1000

    A joint venture of Thailand’s Saha Pathanapibul Pcl and Japan’s Lawson Inc aims to boost the number of ‘Lawson 108’ outlets in the Southeast Asian nation to 1,000 over the next three years from 40 now, a Saha executive said on Friday.

    Saha Pat, part of Saha Group, Thailand’s largest consumer products conglomerate, joined hands with Lawson, one of Japan’s top- three convenience store chains, to form joint venture Saha Lawson Co in 2012 to tap the Thai retail market.

    Saha Lawson will focus on fresh-cooked and ready to eat products, Saha Pat’s director Vathit Chokwatana told a conference. He did not reveal any investment numbers by the partners.

    Lawson is one of several Japanese retailers expanding business in Thailand, despite the Southeast Asian nation’s weak domestic consumption and slowing economy. Others include Tokyu Department Store and MaxValu supermarket, owned by AEON group.

    Lawson competes directly with CP All Pcl, Thailand’s largest convenience store chain with more than 8,000 7-Eleven outlets, and Family Mart, owned by Central Group, Thailand’s leading retailer.

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  • Lawson, SG Holdings to offer new delivery service

    Lawson, SG Holdings to offer new delivery service

    Retailer Lawson Inc. and logistics company SG Holdings Co. are to begin a delivery service under a new alliance pitched at time-deprived workers and seniors.

    Lawson, a Tokyo-based convenience store operator, said on Tuesday that it will take a 51 percent stake in the new company to be created in June, with Kyoto-based SG Holdings, which runs Sagawa Express Co., holding the remaining 49 percent.

    They will work together to expand their customer base as demand for home delivery increases with a growing number of elderly people and more women opting to work rather than stay at home.

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  • Lawson Philippines debuts today

    Lawson Philippines debuts today

    The much anticipated debut of Lawson Philippines will occur today, Monday.

    The first store will open in the Manila suburb of Sta. Ana.

    Lawson Philippines is a joint venture between local operator Puregold Price Club (70 per cent) and Lawson Japan (30 per cent). The two companies plan a massive network of 500 convenience stores across the Philippines by 2020, with up to 100 opening this calendar year.

    Initially the chain will be focused on metro Manila.

    Lawson’s debut will have little immediate effect on the nation’s cstore sector, but once it builds critical mass, it will present a challenge to the dominance 7-Eleven chain and compete with the rising FamilyMart and Ministop networks.

    “Under the partnership, Lawson will provide its expertise in convenient stores know-how and product development while Puregold will provide its expertise in product procurement and localized knowledge of the retail consumers,” the company said in a statement.

    In May 2014, during a visit to Manila, Lawson Japan chairman Takeshi Niinami said the company was planning as many as 2000 convenience stores in the Philippines in the long term.

  • Lawson Philippines set for debut

    Lawson Philippines set for debut

    Lawson Philippines will launch later this month with the first of 500 stores planned in a partnership with local retailer Puregold Price Club.

    Puregold will own 70 per cent of the joint venture partnership with the Japanese convenience store retailer, which will hold the remaining 30 per cent.

    The company has yet to reveal the location of the first store, but Investor Relations Officer John T. Hao confirmed in an interview with Business World Online that construction is underway on the first five stores.

    The supermarket company says it has allocated P500 million on rolling out the first 50 to 100 Lawson stores this year.

    The Lawson Philippines network will initially be focused on metro Manila, mostly in the university belt and business districts.

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