At the first-half financial results briefing held on October 8, FamilyMart President Kensuke Hosomi stated, “The era of boosting daily sales by spending more on labor costs is over.” Amid ongoing cost increases due to inflation and a persistent labor shortage, he emphasized that improving operational efficiency and expanding franchisee profitability are now the company’s top priorities.
For the first half of the fiscal year ending February 2026, consolidated operating profit reached 61.7 billion yen, up 19.1% year on year, marking a new record high. Existing store sales rose 4.1%, maintaining steady growth, while the average franchisee profit also hit an all-time high.
Reflecting on the results, Hosomi said, “Despite a difficult economic environment both at home and abroad, our efforts with franchisees to pursue a ‘new era of convenience stores’ have generated positive momentum.” Looking ahead, he stressed the importance of building a sustainable profit structure that allows franchisees to earn stable returns. “In the inflationary era, the growth model of chasing sales simply by relying on convenient store locations and selling products at list prices—as in the zero-interest-rate period—no longer works. We will instead prioritize operations focused on the profitability and efficiency of each franchisee,” he explained.
Transforming into a “Media-Type Convenience Store” through Digital Utilization
As key strategic pillars, FamilyMart is advancing labor-saving operations and store-specific merchandise optimization using AI and data, while also working to create added value by evolving into a “media-type convenience store.”
“How we get consumers to perceive added value is crucial. We are exploring a ‘media-driven’ business as the next pillar of growth and have seen promising results over the past few years,” he noted. Through roughly 10,500 in-store digital signage screens, the FamiPay app, the FamiMa Online EC platform, and the new financial service platform “FamiMa Money Life,” the company is striving to create unique value by fusing its physical and digital channels.
Regarding store openings, after conducting various trials during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company concluded that it can pursue multiple store formats in addition to standard outlets. With the closure of most unprofitable stores now complete, FamilyMart plans to resume expansion with both conventional stores and diverse new formats to strengthen its store network.
In preparation for the company’s 45th anniversary next year, FamilyMart will collaborate with globally renowned creator NIGO to develop new value propositions using digital signage and in-store content. Hosomi expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “Together with our franchisees, we hope to deliver even one new experience to our consumers.”
