JAPAN TODAY




 

Major Japanese convenience store operator Lawson Inc will enter the Indian market, planning to open its first store in Mumbai in 2027 and launch a total of 100 stores in the country by 2030, a company official said.
 
Starting with five directly operated stores in Mumbai in 2027, the company aims to eventually expand its presence in the South Asian country to 10,000 stores in 2050, the official said.
 
Lawson -- which already has about 7,800 stores overseas, mainly in China -- views India, the world's most populous country, as the next potential pillar of profit-making outside Japan.
 
Seeing India continue to build infrastructure that enables the transport of food products at low temperatures, the company has determined it can enter the market, according to the official.
 
Among Lawson's Japanese rivals, Seven & i Holdings Co opened its first 7-Eleven store in India in 2021. It had about 60 stores as of September last year.