Convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. will open some 40 stores in Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture in the business year through February 2007, becoming the second convenience chain with a nationwide network after Lawson Inc., its president said Wednesday.
The company is considering launching about 30 outlets in Hokkaido and 10 in Aomori Prefecture next summer or after, Junji Ueda told a news conference.
The number will be increased to 100 in Hokkaido and 30 in Aomori in three years, he said.
The company, which presently runs a network of stores in 44 of Japan's 47 prefectures, is set to open a store in Akita Prefecture by the end of this year, then increase the number to about 10 by the end of February, Ueda added.
Meanwhile, the company said its group net profit in the March-August period increased 14.0 percent from the year before to 9.39 billion yen.
Operating revenue in the first half of its current fiscal year expanded 10.2 percent to 139.20 billion yen as the number of stores increased.
FamilyMart opened 300 new stores and closed 172 in Japan in the six-month period, bringing the total to 6,122.
Lawson has good half
Major convenience store chain Lawson Inc. said Wednesday it earned 12.88 billion yen in group net profit in the March-August first half of its current business year, up 14.1 percent from the same period last year.
Consolidated operating revenue grew 6.5 percent to 136.83 billion yen thanks an increase in the number of Lawson stores and fee income from Lawson ATM Networks Inc.
During the six months, Lawson expanded its number of stores in Japan by 141 to 8,218. In addition, a Lawson affiliate in Shanghai increased the number of branches by 27 to 237.