FamilyMart

TheFamilyMart Company, Ltd.(Japanese:株式会社ファミリーマート,Hepburn:Kabushikigaisha Famirīmāto)is a Japaneseconvenience storefranchisechain, and a subsidiary ofItochu, a Japanese trading company. It is Japan's second largest convenience store chain, behindSeven-Eleven Japan. There are now 24,574 stores worldwide in Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.Its headquarters is on the 17th floor of theSunshine 60building inIkebukuro,Toshima, Tokyo.There were some stores in Japan with the nameCircle K Sunkusunder the operation of FamilyMart. FamilyMart currently has franchise stores inMalaysia,Philippines,Thailand,Indonesia,Taiwan,China, andVietnam.
FamilyMart stores sell typical Japanese convenience store goods, including basic grocery items, magazines,manga, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks likesake,nikuman(steamed pork buns), fried chicken,onigiri/omusubi (rice balls), andbento. FamilyMart is known for its distinctive doorbell melody, which plays upon entering the store.The doorbells are exclusively made byPanasonic. The melody is referred to asMelody Chime No. 1 – Daiseikyou,and was originally developed for Panasonic by Yasuhi Inada in 1978.
The first FamilyMart opened inSayama,Saitama Prefecture, in 1973.In 2002, it was listed as a company in Taiwan.
In October 2013, FamilyMart opened its 10,000th store in Japan.Operations in certain parts of Asia, especially China, continue to expand.FamilyMart also operated stores in South Korea from 1990 until 2014, when FamilyMart sold its stake in BGF Retail and divested from South Korea.
As of January 2018, there were 24,243 stores worldwide; 17,409 stores in Japan, 3,165 stores in Taiwan, 2,177 stores in China, 1,138 stores in Thailand, 277 stores in Malaysia, 66 stores in the Philippines, 165 stores in Vietnam, and 87 stores in Indonesia.
FamilyMart was a subsidiary of the FamilyMart UNY Holdings Co., Ltd. (UFHD), which also owned supermarket chainUny, until 2020. UFHD was dissolved when Uny was acquired by the parent company ofDon Quijotein 2020.
FamilyMart Co.'sparent companyisItochu, a Japanese trading company, with a stake of 50.1%.On July 8, 2020, Itochu announced it would spend approximately ¥580 billion (approx US$5.5 billion) to purchase 100% of FamilyMart, with the intent to sell 4.9% of the shares toZen-NohandNorinchukin Bank.FamilyMart shareholders approved the takeover on October 26, and the stock was delisted on November 12, thus leading the completion of the acquisition.
FamilyMart opened its first store inShanghai,China, in 2004. Since then, the chain has expanded toGuangzhou,SuzhouandHangzhou. Other stores are inShenzhen, Guangzhou,Chengdu,Wuxi,BeijingandDongguan. By December 2020, there are over 2,967 FamilyMart stores inmainland China.
FamilyMart opened its first store inMalaysiaat Wisma Lim Foo Yong in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur on November 11, 2016. It has become popular because it is the first convenience store selling soft serve ice cream and fresh snacks.
FamilyMart Malaysia are owned by Maxincome Resources Sdn Bhd which is one of QL Resources Bhd subsidiary. They had a 20-year agreement with FamilyMart Co Ltd.
All of FamilyMart Malaysia's food service and ready-to-eat selections are made with halal ingredients only. The service is currently in the midst of the halal application process with JAKIM. The products available in FamilyMart that are Halal certified will carry the Halal logo on its packaging. For products that are imported from Japan, Korea or Taiwan, the product ingredients will be vetted to ensure that noharamingredients such as pork, lard or alcoholic substance were used. Customers will be able to read the ingredients information on the food or drinks packaging before purchase to ensure hassle-free consuming.In April 2019, FamilyMart Malaysia was one of theF&Boutlets that was chosen byPLUS Malaysia Berhad, the largest expressway in Malaysia to set up their stores in one of theR&Rareas.
As of May 6, 2021, there are 242 stores nationwide,marking the 200th store milestone on the first store inPenangafter its 100th store inMalacca.By 2022, they planned to open 300 stores nationwide.
FamilyMart was launched in thePhilippineson April 7, 2013under the ownership ofAyala Corporation,Rustan's Groupand Itochu.Philippine FamilyMart CVS Inc. is the official Philippine franchisee of FamilyMart. Its first Philippine branch, opened on April 22, 2013, is located atthe Glorietta 3 mallinMakati. In 2017,Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., a unit of the Davao-based conglomerateUdenna Corporation, acquired the franchise from the triumvirate; it was completed in 2018.There are now more than 65 stores in the Philippines, including those built at select Phoenix Petroleum stations.
On November 21, 2019, FamilyMart opened its largest outlet in the world, with an area of 390 square meters (4,200 sq ft), at Udenna Tower inBonifacio Global City,Taguig.
However, several FamilyMart stores in the Philippines have closed since 2022, including the world's largest outlet, due to financial challenges faced by Udenna Corporation founder and ownerDennis Uy. By 2022, Phoenix reported a₱191.1 millionimpairment loss on its investment.Reports in 2023 attributed such closures to debts and unpaid obligations.
In 1988, FamilyMart began opening stores in Taiwan.As of October 2021, FamilyMart has over 3,600 stores in Taiwan.FamilyMart provides banking and bill payment services and as of 2018, FamilyMart accepts the highest number of bill payments among convenience stores in Taiwan, with over 100 million bills paid per year.
FamilyMart sued to end its partnership withTing Hsinin 2019, which would end a 15-yearjoint venture.
FamilyMart opened its first store in 1993 and grew to over 1,000 locations within the next decades. In May 2020, FamilyMart transferred their 49% stake of the Thai joint venture to partnerCentral Group. Despite FamilyMart's effective exit from the venture, they maintained licensing rights and store locations retained the company's name.Their franchise agreement with Central ended in 2023, and FamilyMart exited Thailand as its roughly 200 remaining stores in the country were to be converted to Central'sTops Dailybrand.
FamilyMart opened its first store in Vietnam in 2009, starting inHo Chi Minh City.Initially the stores were operated in ajoint venturewith Vietnamese distributorPhu Thai Group, after 2013, both companies went their own way, and Phu Thai Group took over a number of FamilyMart stores and started operating them under its own brandB's Mart. As of 2017, FamilyMart operated 130 stores in Ho Chi Minh City.
At the end of May 2012, the number of operating FamilyMart stores had reached 7,271. In June 2012, FamilyMart ofSouth Korea, which was being run by FamilyMart Corporation and BGF Retail, was renamed and converted to 'CU' (short for "Convenience for You") under ownership of BGF Retail after an order coming from BGF Retail that required FamilyMart to leave the South Korean market, and to cease operations there.At the end of March 2014, FamilyMart withdrew from the South Korean market completely.
In addition, South Korean franchisees had operated a number of stores atKaesong Industrial RegionandMount Kumgang Tourist Regionin North Korea for South Korean visitors and workers; all the stores are now closed.
Beginning in July 2005, FamilyMart began building and opening several stores inLos Angeles,California, under the nameFamima!!. After freezing the number of locations at 10 in 2010,FamilyMart closed all eight of its Famima!! convenience stores in the United States and liquidated Famima Corp. USA, withdrawing from the United States in October 2015.
FamilyMart has had solar power at some of its stores since at least 2004.It aims to increase its solar energy footprint in the future. There are around 45,000 convenience stores in Japan. Lawson run just under 10,000, a market share just behind 7-Eleven, who have about 13,000 stores. Currently, only 20 of Lawson's stores are equipped with solar equipment, but they plan to expand that number ahead of the July 1, 2012 introduction of a "feed-in tariff system", which the government and electricity companies say guarantees purchases of electricity from renewable sources such as solar or wind generators. Surplus power can be sold only after in-store lighting and air-conditioning have been powered.
On 30 January 2006, FamilyMart began trials of an automatic cashier station at one of its Tokyo stores in cooperation with Itochu andToshiba. Special tags on items in the customer's shopping basket are remotely and instantly sensed at the register.
Seventeen convenience store owners of FamilyMart stores formed a union and requested collective bargaining with the company. They were refused and sued. In April 2015 theCentral Labor Commission of Japanfound that FamilyMart had violated the Trade Union Law by refusing to negotiate with the union. The franchise owners were recognized as employees under the trade union law, and the company was ordered to pledge to the union that it would not repeat the offence.
In August 2019, footage emerged of as many as six rats scurrying through a FamilyMart store inShibuya, near sushi displays and down aisles. FamilyMart responded by shutting the store, in order to investigate the cause of the problem, and apologised if the "unsanitary" footage had made customers feel "uneasy".