7-Eleven Format Doubles in Size at Pilot Store in Japan

According to multiple media outlets, 7-Eleven parent company Seven & I Holdings recently unveiled a test store outside of Tokyo that is almost double the size of a regular 7-Eleven and carries more than twice the number of products. 

“Our stores are currently not as popular with women, families and younger people,” Keisuke Yamaguchi, an executive officer of Seven & I, said at a media event, according to The Japan Times. “How to balance that is our biggest concern when choosing what items to have in the store.”

7-Eleven stores in Japan already offer many products you wouldn’t find in most U.S. locations, such as concert tickets, delivery packages and fresh foods.

The pilot store — which is located in Chiba prefecture, a suburb of Tokyo — merchandises easy-to-prepare groceries, baby products, cosmetics and roughly 2,000 other items not usually found at the 21,500 7-Eleven outlets across Japan, including fresh fruit, diapers and haircare. The store also offers a larger cafe menu and fresh bread and pizza selection. 

According to The Japan Times, 7-Eleven is partnering with Seven & I subsidiary Ito-Yokado, a Japanese general merchandise, grocery and department superstore, to bring new items to the bigger convenience store and draw in more diverse customers.

For the project to be successful, Seven & I says the test location needs to see average daily sales exceeding the 700,000 yen (i.e., $4,600) that a typical outlet makes, given the increase in operational and other costs.

The retail giant doesn’t plan on stopping at just one of these larger format stores, The Japan Times said. Seven & I plans to watch which products perform well over the next six months, and open a second one within the next year.