Japan’s Lawson to buy c-stores in the US
Lawson, the second largest convenience store chain in Japan, is keen on acquiring convenience stores in the United States as part of its expansion plans abroad, reported The Japan Times.
The c-store chain has expressed its interest to work out on any acquisition deal if given the opportunity, said Lawson president and chief operating officer Sadanobu Takemasu.
The mature US market, added Takemasu, makes mergers and acquisitions a simple and straightforward option for the company to widen its network of convenience stores.
Lawson has 793 outlets overseas spread across China, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and has laid out plans to multiply its number of stores in Southeast Asia.
It targets to open 1,000 shops abroad by February 2017 as it tries to keep up with the overseas expansion of its rivals Seven & I Holdings Co.’s 7-Eleven and FamilyMart Co. It lags behind Seven & I, which has about 40,000 outlets outside Japan, while FamilyMart has about 6,000.
