Japan to sell more goods via convenience stores
Convenience store chains which have been expanded in Vietnam will serve as the important channel for Japanese manufacturers.
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Hirotaka Yasuzumi, chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organization’s (JETRO) HCM City Office, visited Family Mart and Mini Stop, the Japanese owned convenience stores in HCM City with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hayashi Motoo some days ago.
The Minister was escorted by representatives of four Japanese retail groups and 16 businesses in the fields of vegetable & fruit, household appliance, sweets, farm produce, beef, seafood, confectionary and cosmetics, who learned about the opportunities to bring their products to Vietnam.
These were the four retail chains well known in Japan and many other countries, namely Family Mart, Mini Stop, 7 Eleven and Lowson. They are considering expanding the existing chains in Vietnam or setting up new retail chains.
Yasuzumi said that the convenience store chains would be important channels through which Japanese would bring Japanese goods made by small and medium enterprises to Vietnam.
Japanese conglomerates have been expanding markets themselves. Meanwhile, Japanese small and medium enterprises need support from the government or trade promotion organizations to expand markets.
A lot of supermarket chains have been set up by large Japanese retail groups in Vietnam. However, according to Yasuzumi, convenience store chains will serve as an important channel through which Japanese goods are brought to Vietnam.
Unlike other convenience store chains, Japanese chains will be not only places where Japanese businesses learn to know what consumers want, but also be the providers of financial services, e-payment and other public social services.
Ishige Hiroyuki, JETRO’s president, noted that the owners of Japanese convenience stores, were experienced and creative in doing business.
Their business chains in Vietnam would be the foundation for Japanese small and medium enterprises to exploit the Vietnamese market.
Family Mart and Mini Stop have set up their convenience store chains in Vietnam. The two retailers expect to have 200 outlets by November in which they would display products to be first available in the Vietnamese market. It is expected that 50-60 product lines would be displayed in this campaign.
The number of Family Mart’s and Mini Stop’s convenience stores is not high (about 130). However, according to Yasuzumi, both the chains’ owners plan to set up thousands of shops in Vietnam. Mini Stop, for example, plans to set up 800 shops in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, some sources said 7-Eleven plans to open its first shop in Vietnam in 2017 and have 100 shops after three years.
