The 7-Eleven convenience store chain this week marked the 50th anniversary of its first outlet opening in Japan, where convenience stores have become essential infrastructure for everyday life.
On May 15, 1974, the first Japanese outlet opened in Tokyo’s Toyosu area.
The first product sold there was a pair of sunglasses.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t sure at all what kind of people would come to shop,” said the store’s owner, Kenji Yamamoto, now 74.
The store’s product lineup was initially based on what was selling well in supermarkets.
But through trial and error, the chain began introducing a series of new products and services.
In 1978, the chain started selling onigiri rice balls that customers could roll in a sheet of nori seaweed by themselves.
For many, onigiri has become the item to buy at convenience stores.
It was also the chain that developed tuna-mayonnaise rice balls, which have become a classic.
The chain also began mediating parcel delivery services in 1981 and accepting utility bill payments in 1987.
In 2001, Aiwai Bank, now Seven Bank, was founded to operate ATMs in 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Multifunction copy machines were introduced in 2000, and a service for issuing copies of some administrative documents was launched in 2010.
Of the about 57,000 convenience stores in the country overall, more than 21,000 are from the 7-Eleven chain.
In recent years, the pace of new 7-Eleven store openings has slowed, and labor shortages have made it difficult for some existing stores to continue the 24-hour operation that the chain started in 1975.
In February this year, Seven-Eleven Japan, the operator of the chain in Japan, introduced a new type of store focused on fresh foods and frozen foods to meet new consumer needs.
“Convenience stores are not almighty,” said Yamamoto, the owner of the first Japan outlet. “It’s important for each store to develop its fans.”