Konbini: a small shop connected to a larger system

The system behind shelves

Point-of-sale information records sales; ordering determines replenishment. Shared distribution brings goods together for delivery, while temperature control addresses different product needs. The sales floor depends on manufacturing, warehouses and transport outside the shop.

Item management and delivery temperatures

Seven-Eleven describes item management as a cycle: examine sales and local conditions, predict demand, choose quantities and presentation, then check the result. In its December 2023 explanation, the company assigns rice balls and boxed meals to a 20°C delivery category, salads and milk to 5°C, and ice cream and frozen foods to −20°C. Products from different makers can share transport within a temperature category.

Developing the rice in an onigiri

Product development addresses what to sell and how to make it, before a branch places an order. In a Seven-Eleven interview, an onigiri developer describes working with ingredient suppliers and manufacturers. Rice quality varied with origin and harvest time, even within one variety. A project with Kyoto rice specialist Hachidaime Gihey examined selection, milling and handling, then introduced a rice blend into products in March 2023 after more than a year’s development.

Bill collection, copying, ATMs and parcel services connect branches with other institutions. Availability depends on equipment, hours and service agreements.

A franchisee operates a branch under an agreement with the chain. Seven-Eleven Japan describes its franchisees and headquarters as separate businesses, with headquarters providing support and franchisees managing stores and sales. A directly operated branch is run by the company itself.

Early local experiments

Before the major chains expanded, local retailers were already experimenting with pooled purchasing and wider ranges. Toyonaka City Library documents Mamy, opened in 1969 by local shopkeepers and affiliated with the My Shop purchasing cooperative. Whether to count it as a convenience store or a small supermarket remains disputed. Seicomart opened in Sapporo in 1971.

Chains, logistics and service expansion

Japanese convenience stores adapted an earlier American retail format during the early 1970s, developing local distribution, products and services. Chains followed different paths: FamilyMart opened its first store in Sayama in 1973 and its first franchise in Funabashi in 1978. Seven-Eleven Japan opened in Toyosu in 1974 and began twenty-four-hour operation at its Toramaru branch in Kōriyama in 1975. Its later milestones include shared distribution in 1976, POS in 1982, electricity-bill collection in 1987 and ATMs in 2001. Other chains introduced services on their own schedules.

Online ordering, delivery and adjustments to opening hours continue to alter operations. Staffing, food loss and franchise conditions also affect the individual shop. Seven-Eleven reported on 4 February 2020 that 129 stores had changed their contracted opening hours by 1 February, during its trials of overnight closures.