With over 24,000 stores across Japan and Asia, FamilyMart blends ready meals, community service, and everyday delight—turning quick stops into meaningful moments for shoppers on the go.
I’d like to begin by asking about convenience stores. In the West — and particularly in my home country, Australia — the image of a convenience store is very different from what we experience in Japan. In Australia, for instance, a “convenience store” is often attached to a gas station. In Japan, however, the convenience store seems to exist in a completely different world. It’s an integral part of daily life — a highly efficient ecosystem that never sleeps. For many of our readers abroad who may share my initial impression, could you explain what a Japanese convenience store really is? How does it differ from the kind of store that many in the West might imagine — the small shop by a gas station selling basic snacks and drinks?
The Japanese convenience store, as we know it today, was shaped during a unique period in our economy — the era of zero interest rates, which lasted for roughly two decades. During that time, prices were stable, and inflation was virtually nonexistent. At the same time, Japan was facing a demographic challenge: a rapidly aging society. It was within this social and economic context that the modern convenience store evolved. The original concept, of course, came from the United States, but when it arrived in Japan, we reinterpreted it entirely. We built a business model that integrated all functions — the store operations, logistics networks, sales promotions, and supplier relationships — into a cohesive cluster.
The result was not merely a store but a community hub — a place that served as both a marketplace and a social support system for neighborhoods. Particularly in areas where traditional local shops were disappearing, the convenience store became a new focal point of daily life. It’s also important to remember that many of these stores were established by long-standing local shopkeepers — liquor store owners, butchers, and grocers who converted their family businesses into convenience stores. They already had deep, trusting relationships with their customers, often built over generations. When they made the transition, they brought that sense of responsibility and community with them. The foundation of the Japanese convenience store lies in trust. These shop owners couldn’t afford to betray their customers’ expectations. If someone who had bought sake from them for 20 years suddenly said, “Why are you selling such poor-quality food now?” that would be devastating. Their reputations and livelihoods were on the line.
Because of that, the focus on quality — on delivering products that people could depend on — became embedded in the DNA of the Japanese convenience store industry. That’s why, even today, the quality and service level in a Japanese convenience store are remarkably high compared with other countries. It’s not just about speed or convenience; it’s about reliability, integrity, and local connection.
Famifest Gazou
The sense of trust and community shaping what could otherwise be a purely transactional business. You also mentioned Japan’s “high-mix, low-volume” model — a system that seems to defy the global trend toward mass production and standardization. Could you elaborate on how this model works in practice and why it has been so successful?
The high-mix, low-volume approach is indeed one of the defining characteristics of Japan’s retail landscape. It’s based on a deep understanding of Japanese consumer behavior. People in Japan value freshness, change, and the experience of discovering something new.
That cultural preference has become an essential part of our retail DNA. If you come to a FamilyMart, you’ll notice that our product lineup changes constantly — sometimes even weekly. It might be a new flavor of omusubi (rice ball), a seasonal dessert, or a limited-edition version of our Famichiki (FamilyMart’s signature fried chicken). These small innovations create excitement and anticipation. As a result, customers enjoy coming back again and again — not just for convenience, but for curiosity. They’re eager to see what’s new this week. This model also suits Japan’s lifestyle rhythm. We have four distinct seasons and a strong cultural attachment to them — people naturally expect food, products, and experiences to change with the time of year.
At FamilyMart, we’ve taken that cultural expectation and turned it into a strategic advantage. By keeping volumes manageable and variety high, we maintain both freshness and flexibility. It also keeps our supply chain nimble and helps us respond quickly to trends.
Let me give you a recent example. In September 2025, during our Famichiki Festival, sales rose by 190% compared with the previous year. The event featured every type of Famichiki available, and customers could eat as much as they wanted. Tickets sold out in hours — it spread across social media like wildfire. What’s remarkable is that Famichiki has been around since 2006, and yet it continues to grow in popularity. While keeping the standard Famichiki that is currently on sale, they have also released different flavors for a limited time, making efforts to keep consumers interested. These ensure that the product feels consistent yet never dull. That’s why people don’t tire of it. From our perspective, it’s about creating a sense of renewal within familiarity — a balance that defines much of Japanese culture itself.
That balance between tradition and renewal seems to run through your entire business. Beyond Famichiki, FamilyMart is known for its constant stream of creative campaigns and seasonal promotions. How do you sustain such a dynamic pace of innovation?
We do indeed operate at a very rapid rhythm — there’s hardly a week in the year without some form of campaign or limited-time offering. For instance, just recently, we held a campaign themed around Tsukimi, the moon-viewing festival. It featured products using eggs, titled 'Tsukimi Haitoku Meshi' (Moon-Viewing Guilty Pleasure Meals). These campaigns are not just marketing exercises — they’re ways to connect with the seasonal and cultural sensibilities of our customers.
Convenience stores in Japan are deeply intertwined with everyday life and traditions. They serve as mirrors of Japanese society — reflecting its seasonal patterns, celebrations, and even emotional rhythms. And this sense of rhythm isn’t only for domestic customers. Japan now welcomes a large and growing number of visitors from overseas, and inbound demand has become a significant part of the retail landscape. However, our policy is clear: we don’t design products just for tourists. We don’t chase global trends or try to imitate foreign preferences. Instead, we focus on authenticity. We believe international visitors come to Japan precisely to experience what is genuinely Japanese — including our food.
Our role at FamilyMart is to offer that experience as it truly is. We want people to discover the everyday Japanese flavors — the rice balls, bento, fried chicken, or desserts that Japanese customers themselves enjoy. That authenticity is what makes our stores special.
Shohei Ohtani x Gochimusubi
I’d like to ask about sustainability. Food waste is a global issue, and Japan has been making serious efforts to reduce it. FamilyMart has announced its Namidame Mark (“teary-eye mark”) initiative, aiming to cut food loss by 50% by 2030 and by 80% by 2050. Could you tell us about the inspiration behind this project and how it’s being implemented?
Food waste is one of the most pressing issues facing the food industry today, and at FamilyMart, we view it as both a social responsibility and an opportunity to innovate. According to government data, Japan discards roughly 2.3 million tons of food every year — an enormous loss, not just environmentally but economically. For a retailer like us, the challenge is: how do we encourage customers to choose items nearing their expiration date, without compromising their experience?
We realized early on that this isn’t a problem you can solve purely through logic. In Japan, purchasing decisions are often guided as much by feeling as by reason. People want to buy the freshest products — that’s natural. But if we could appeal to empathy and emotion, perhaps we could change behavior in a positive way. That’s how the Namidame Mark was born. The idea was to give a human touch to the problem. The mark — a small, teary-eyed icon — appears on products that are still perfectly good to eat but nearing the end of their shelf life. It’s a gentle, emotional reminder: “Please don’t let this go to waste.”
This simple act of emotional communication resonates strongly with Japanese consumers. It transforms what could be a moral obligation into a shared act of kindness. But emotional appeal alone isn’t enough. To truly reduce waste, we’re also investing heavily in data and digital integration. The convenience store business is built on partnerships — with food manufacturers, logistics providers, and franchise owners. We’re now using technology to share real-time information across that entire network: how much to produce, when to deliver, and where to stock products. The goal is to minimize excess inventory without risking shortages. Of course, data-sharing must respect confidentiality — each partner has its own trade secrets. So we’re using secure digital platforms that allow collaboration while protecting proprietary information.
Just a few days ago, I visited one of our key partners in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture — a factory that produces rice-based meals such as curry and omusubi. We exchanged views on how to align production more precisely with demand and reduce loss. This is particularly important now, as food prices — especially rice — are expected to rise toward the end of the year. Balancing food security with waste reduction will be one of the defining challenges for our industry in the coming decade.
On the topic of technology, FamilyMart has also become known for its pioneering use of AI and robotics — from unmanned TOUCH-TO-GO stores to cleaning robots that announce product information and more on small monitors.. How are these technologies shaping the next generation of convenience stores, and what kind of future do you envision for FamilyMart?
Well, to be honest, I’ll be long gone by 2060, so it’s hard to imagine that far ahead! But I can certainly speak about what we’re building today. I am now in my fifth year as CEO, and digital transformation — or DX — has been one of our top priorities. We’ve been actively implementing new systems: AI-based customer support, data-driven merchandising, automated payment technologies, and yes, even robots that can monitor and clean stores while analyzing their own work. They perform fully automated vacuuming and wet mopping. We can remotely grasp their cleaning operational status at each store, which allows us to make performance improvements.
These innovations are not just about novelty; they are about necessity. Japan’s population is aging rapidly, and by 2060, around 30% of citizens will be over 65 years old. Labor shortages are already a pressing issue, and automation is one of the key ways we can maintain service quality and operational efficiency. That said, technology alone cannot sustain our business. The more we automate, the more we understand that customers still crave human warmth. They want small moments of connection — a greeting, a smile, a bit of conversation at the counter.
When we introduced self-checkout machines, we found that while some customers enjoyed the speed, others felt it was too impersonal. They said they missed the small talk, the friendly atmosphere. That feedback was important. It reminded us that, at its core, retail is about people.
Our challenge is to find the right balance — to use technology to enhance operations without erasing the human touch. We want to make our stores efficient and intelligent, but also warm and welcoming. Of course, customer expectations are changing. People born in 2000 will be 60 years old in 2060. For them, AI and digital interactions will feel perfectly natural. As technology becomes more conversational, people are increasingly comfortable engaging with machines. So perhaps, in the future, digital interfaces will be able to simulate the same warmth and empathy that a human employee provides. That’s when we might truly achieve harmony between technology and hospitality. But at this moment, the personal connection between customers and staff remains irreplaceable.
FamilyMart salmon onigiri straight from the Famimal Kitchen
I’d like to shift gears to something unexpected — fashion. In 2021, FamilyMart collaborated with renowned designer Hiromichi Ochiaito launch a clothing line that went viral. Why did a convenience store decide to enter the apparel world, and what has that journey been like?
That project started in quite an interesting way. Convenience stores in Japan have always sold basic emergency apparel — socks, T-shirts, stockings, umbrellas — the kind of essentials you might need in a pinch. Someone tears a sock, gets caught in the rain, or has to stay overnight unexpectedly; those needs have always existed. But Japan isn’t a car-based society like many Western countries. People here walk or use public transport. And within a 200- or 300-meter radius, there’s almost always a FamilyMart nearby. That proximity means our stores naturally play a much larger role in people’s lives.
Before the pandemic, if you wanted to shop for clothes, you might drive 10 or 15 minutes to a Uniqlo store in the suburbs. Uniqlo’s model was built on that suburban, car-accessible strategy. But during COVID, when people couldn’t travel far, everything changed. Suddenly, the local FamilyMart became the only accessible shop — and people began to notice our products in a new light.
Our socks, in particular, gained a cult following. Customers started posting about them on social media, praising the quality and design. One of the people who post was a famous Japanese talent a national icon. His post sparked a wave of interest online, and from there, the trend just exploded. Over the next three years, while people couldn’t visit department stores or boutiques, they began creating fashion statements from accessible, everyday items — like FamilyMart socks. It became a kind of grassroots fashion movement, shared across social platforms. Then, in November 2023, when the COVID-19-related behavioral restrictions were lifted, we took a bold next step — we held a full-scale fashion show at Yoyogi Gymnasium. Imagine: a convenience store hosting a runway event! It was a symbolic moment for us — a way to break stereotypes and show that creativity can come from anywhere.
The response was overwhelming. Representatives from major luxury houses attended the event. It was at that moment I realized something profound: while Japanese people see convenience stores as purely functional, global brands see them as powerful cultural and retail platforms — direct access points to everyday life. Before COVID, many European luxury maisons were acquiring food and lifestyle brands. They understood that food, daily life, and fashion all intersect at the same point — culture. In that sense, FamilyMart is already part of people’s cultural lives. So for us, fashion isn’t a diversion; it’s an evolution. A convenience store can be a space where everyday essentials meet creativity. It can reflect not just utility, but style and emotion.
How would you describe the creative philosophy behind FamilyMart’s fashion line, especially compared with brands like Uniqlo, which focus on simplicity and muted tones?
Our concept is rooted in renewal and discovery. People visit convenience stores almost every day, and the space is small, so our goal isn’t to sell a fixed collection but to create continuous, small surprises. This week, it might be a T-shirt. Next week, a cardigan. The following week, a different seasonal item. We want our customers to enjoy a constant sense of newness — to find something unexpected each time they come in. We think of it as echoing Japan’s four seasons — subtle change, quiet anticipation, a feeling of freshness. It’s not about pushing color or design trends; it’s about capturing life’s rhythm. When customers come in for their coffee or lunch and notice something new on the rack, that moment of discovery adds a little brightness to their day. That’s what we want FamilyMart fashion to be — a gentle, joyful part of everyday life.
To close, I’d like to ask about leadership. Over 2 million of our readers are senior executives — CEOs, chairpersons, and C-suite leaders across industries. Could you share your own philosophy of leadership and management? What motivates you personally as a leader, and what advice would you give to your peers around the world?
I believe leadership is about setting two kinds of goals for your team — one that feels achievable, and one that feels distant but inspiring. People need both. The first gives them confidence; the second gives them dreams. At FamilyMart, I try to ensure that our employees and franchise owners always have both a sense of direction and a sense of possibility. Goals should never feel routine — they should spark excitement. When we signed Shohei Ohtani as our omusubi ambassador, the energy across the company skyrocketed. It reminded everyone — from headquarters staff to franchise partners — that FamilyMart is a global brand capable of standing on the world stage.
That excitement is essential. I often tell my team, “Let’s dream big.” Sometimes I even joke, “Maybe next time we’ll invite A famous international artist to work behind the counter.” It’s not about the literal possibility — it’s about the mindset. We should never be afraid to imagine something extraordinary. Ultimately, leadership is about creating an environment where people feel empowered to dream and challenge themselves. Whether they work at headquarters, in logistics, or at the counter, I want everyone in the FamilyMart family to feel proud, energized, and connected to something larger. When people work with joy and purpose, great things happen naturally. That’s the kind of culture I aim to build every day.
For more information, see their official website at: https://www.family.co.jp/
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