After refining the convenience store concept and expanding across Japan, Seven & I Holdings wants to find out whether there’s consumer appetite for a bigger version of its 7-Eleven outlets carrying a broader range of choices.
The retailer unveiled a new store in Chiba Prefecture that will have more than twice the number of products and is almost double the size of regular 7-Elevens. Seven & I says that for the project to be successful, it needs to see average daily sales exceeding the ¥700,000 ($4,600) that a typical outlet makes, given the increase in operational and other costs.
Convenience stores, called konbini in colloquial Japanese, are ubiquitous and essential to daily life in Japan. Unlike their U.S. counterparts, 7-Elevens in Japan offer everything from fresh food to concert tickets to delivery packages, all in one place. Still, the retailer is betting that it can draw in a wider range of consumers by adding more food choices and household goods.