Japan’s Lawson targets to open 500 stores in Central China
Japanese convenience store chain Lawson revs up its expansion plans as it set the opening of its first store in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and economic hub of Central China, by spring of 2016, according to a company release.
Lawson will be the first Japanese convenience store to enter the region under an area license agreement with Zhongbai Supermarket Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Zhongbai Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
Zhongbai Group operates a network of 1,000 hypermarket, supermarkets, department stores, and consumer-electronics retailers mainly in Wuhan and Chongqing provinces.
Zhongbai will tap into Lawson’s store management and product development experience and complement them to Wuhan’s consumers whose population is estimated at 10 million and whose demand for convenience store products is expected to increase.
Nine more Lawson stores are expected to be launched in the city this year. “The reach will then be expanded to other parts of Hubei province, with a three-year target of 200 stores and a five-year target of 500 stores,” said the news release.
China continues to have the most number of Lawson convenience stores outside Japan—652 outlets can be found in Shanghai, Chongqing, Dalian, and Beijing.
Lawson also operates convenience stores in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and the Unites States.
