REPORTING. Konbinis, these convenience stores open 24 hours a day in Japan, are celebrating their 50th anniversary

In half a century, small Japanese multi-service stores have continued to evolve, far surpassing the initial American model.

Any visitor to Japan has inevitably encountered konbinis. These convenience stores, open 24 hours a day, are present on every street corner and are celebrating their 50th anniversary in May. In half a century, these small multi-service stores have continued to evolve, far surpassing the initial American model.

The first convenience store Seven Eleven, a name of American origin, opened in Tokyo in May 1974 in the Toyosu district and is still there. “I’m not from the area, but I know this konbini well”, says a customer. Half a century later, a neighbor has not forgotten the day the first convenience store nicknamed “konbini” was born: “I remember it. My God, it’s been 50 years. It was a liquor store and one morning it became Seven Eleven.”

In the konbinis you can find food, drink, hygiene products, stationery, smartphone accessories, a cash dispenser, a photocopier or even a printer. “It’s quite practical, even if it’s more expensive, underlines another neighbor. But it’s a good service, with lots of services, and it’s even a place where you can take temporary refuge and go to the toilet. And that’s true of all konbinis, not just Seven Eleven.”

For another octogenarian, the konbini represents almost a public service. “I pay the various bills there, my newspaper subscription, my taxes, reports an octogenarian. I also buy an onigiri there in the morning when I go for a walk.” Onigiri, filled rice balls, are a must-have for konbinis.

Fumihito Nagamatsu, the boss of the Seven Eleven Japan group, recalls that initially success was not a given. “The path was strewn with pitfalls. At the time, it was the golden age of hypermarkets, the bigger it was, the better. So both inside the company and outside “Outside, we encountered strong opposition on the grounds that a mini-market of less than 100 square meters had no chance of succeeding”explains the manager.

Seven Eleven and its competitors Lawson and Family Mart now have a total of 57,000 konbinis in Japan. They are vital infrastructure during natural disasters and an attraction for foreign tourists. “For the Japanese, konbinis are a given, but for foreigners, they are surprising convenience stores. Seven Eleven konbinis originated in the United States, but were so processed in Japan that they became an exportable part of the Japanese culture as long as this world wants something new, konbinis will continue to evolve.

Covid is the only crisis from which the konbinis really suffered, but they recovered. Now they must adapt to the aging of the population, the labor shortage and environmental constraints.