Japan’s Lawson to invest aggressively abroad
There will be more Lawson convenience stores overseas than in Japan in five to 10 years, according to Lawson President and CEO Genichi Tamatsuka.
The c-store chain, which has more than 12,000 outlets in Japan, plans to expand rapidly to other countries and will seriously consider acquisitions, reported Reuters.
Currently there are only 761 Lawson stores abroad, of which 655 are in China and the rest are in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States (Hawaii).
In the Philippines alone, Lawson announced a partnership with local retail giant Puregold to set up 500 Lawson convenience stores by 2020, according to Manila Bulletin.
Asian market, especially five Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as North America are deemed as areas of future growth for Lawson.
