Japan's convenience stores work hard to stay relevant
Ride the Seibu Shinjuku Line to Iriso Station in the city of Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, and you can enjoy shopping at Japan's oldest franchise convenience store, a Family Mart that opened in September 1973. The following May, the nation's first 7-Eleven outlet was opened ...
Japan sets target of 20% cut in industrial food waste by 2030
Japan will aim for a cut of around 20 percent in industrial food waste by fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2016, a basic policy outlined by a government panel stated Wednesday. The policy seeks to slash the annual amount of food discarded by convenience stores, ...
Behind the scenes of 24/7 service: The realities of 'owning' a Japanese convenience store
A familiar orange and green signboard glares in the pitch-dark, quiet street in a residential area. There, the owner of a 7-Eleven franchise store located in the suburbs of a small city in the Chubu region works the night shift every day by himself. The ...
Japan enacts law calling for 'national movement' to slash 6 million tons of food wasted annually
Japan enacted legislation Friday to promote the reduction of food waste, with the aim of cutting down on the over 6 million tons of still-edible food discarded annually. Under the legislation, sponsored by a cross-party group of lawmakers, the central government will formulate a basic ...
Japanese convenience stores tackle food waste issue; households and restaurants slow to get on board
Major convenience store operators begin introducing measures to curb food waste as companies step up efforts to address the issue.
Japan's Seven-Eleven and Lawson to discount foods close to expiration in bid to cut waste
The chains have until now been selling products at list price and had all but banned franchise owners from offering discounts.
Convenience store chains issue action plans, softening stance on operating hours amid labor pinch
Convenience store operators released actions plans Thursday to address acute labor shortages, which suggest they are becoming more flexible about operating hours. "We will let the owners of (franchise stores) make the final decision" on whether to reduce business hours, said Fumihiko Nagamatsu, president of ...
Japan anti-trust watchdog may stop convenience chains from imposing 24-hour opening on franchises
The Fair Trade Commission is considering preventing convenience store operators from forcing franchise owners to run their outlets 24 hours a day, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. Operators unilaterally rejecting franchise holders' requests to review their business hours to cope with severe labor ...
Moves are afoot among major convenience store chains to review the uniform 24-hour operation of their stores, the standard industry practice since Seven-Eleven Japan Co. started it a year after it opened its first outlet in 1974. The sustainability of 24-hour operations came under ...
Japan's famed convenience stores look to cut opening hours amid labor shortage
Apart from culture, food and a superefficient rail system, one of the things that most impresses travelers to Japan is its convenience stores, bursting with sushi, alcohol, underwear and ready-made food available at all hours. Well, maybe not for much longer. The 24-hour konbini experience is ...
Seven-Eleven Japan to open its first stores in Okinawa on July 11
Leading convenience store operator Seven-Eleven Japan Co. will open its first outlets in Okinawa Prefecture on July 11. Opening stores in Okinawa, the only prefecture in which Seven-Eleven Japan does not have a presence, means the company will have outlets in all of the nation's ...
METI asks Japan's convenience store chains to present plans for coping with labor shortage
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko wants the eight major chains to formulate action plans because the labor shortages are straining the 24-hour industry.
