Seven-Eleven Japan President Tomohiro Akutsu said that, regarding the medium-term plan calling for a net increase of 1,000 stores by fiscal 2030, “we can already see a net annual increase of around 200 stores each year, so the plan is fully feasible.” Going forward, the company intends to widen store-opening opportunities by focusing on multi-store operations by individual store owners, while also responding to the needs of each living area through diverse formats such as urban centers, regional areas, and facilities, thereby contributing to local communities as well.
For fiscal 2025, the number of net increase will remain at around 180 stores, taking on-site workload into account, but he said, “This is a decision to avoid unreasonable store openings, and the pace of net increases itself can be maintained.”
Since the end of the COVID-19 crisis, the company has also been expanding “compact stores” in facilities as part of employee convenience measures and welfare benefits using smartphone payments.
Meanwhile, in regional areas, it is also rolling out a new format for regions where full-spec stores are difficult to establish. The “regional co-creation store” that opened in October in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a store developed in cooperation with local authorities with the aim of solving shopping difficulties in areas where shopping is hard to access, and it will also be linked to community contribution. The company says, “Creating stores that match local needs will become a key part of our future store-opening strategy.”
