Convenience stores have rapidly increased their store openings in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake 10 years ago, but many of the stores that opened at that time are about to renew their franchise agreements.
However, it seems that some stores are not being renewed due to the aging of the owners of member stores, and each company is being forced to take action.
Convenience stores have attracted attention as a living infrastructure in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the number of new store openings has increased sharply in the three years from 2011 to 2013, reaching nearly 10,000.
Of these, FamilyMart and Lawson have a contract period of 10 years with the owner, and the number of stores that increased at that time will be renewed after this spring.
However, the owners of affiliated stores are aging, and the burden of 24-hour operation is also a problem, and there are concerns that some stores may not accept contract renewals.
For this reason, Lawson will be able to shorten the contract period to five years from this spring, and FamilyMart will create a mechanism that makes it easier to continue the business, such as relaxing the conditions for other people to take over the business of the aging owner. ..
Tomomi Nagai, chief analyst at Toray Industries, Inc., said, "If a large number of convenience stores are closed, consumers will be in trouble, and the headquarters needs to create a system that makes it easy for owners to renew their contracts."