Convenience store chain Lawson Inc. and drugstore chain Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co. said Monday they will join forces to launch a new type of outlet they hope will boost consumer demand.
Lawson, Japan's second-largest convenience store chain, and Matsumotokiyoshi, the top drugstore chain, will set up a joint venture by the end of this year to operate outlets combining the convenience store and drugstore formats, they said.
Lawson President Takeshi Niinami said the two companies plan to start opening the outlets next spring and build 1,000 in the next five years.
The decision came after government deregulation in June allowed sales of medicines at convenience stores and other stores on the condition that certified sales clerks are present on behalf of pharmacists.
The envisioned new stores are likely to be larger than conventional convenience stores, according to sources close to the two companies.
To operate the new outlets, Lawson will train certified sales clerks and Matsumotokiyoshi will obtain the knowhow needed to operate convenience stores, the companies said.
Earlier this month, Seven & I Holdings Co. opened its first drugstore at an Ito-Yokado supermarket in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in cooperation with Ain Pharmaciez Inc., a major chain of prescription drugstores.