The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Convenience stores serve up drinkable sweets to increase profits
Major convenience store operators have started focusing more on smoothies and other frozen drinks, referring to them as “drinkable sweets,” as part of e orts to develop new business opportunities.
In autumn, so drink and ice cream sales usually drop. However, smoothies, which allow people to easily consume fruits and vegetables, have grown popular. With the sales season of such products reaching its peak, convenience store operators have exercised their ingenuity by releasing distinctive products.
In September, Lawson, Inc. began selling smoothies, priced at ¥350 to ¥480, including tax, at ve of its stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area. ere are seven avors, including banana espresso, that are all prepared by Lawson employees. A er receiving an order, employees will slice fruits, blend the drinks and add whipped cream, all in the store’s kitchen. e company plans to increase the number of stores o ering such products to 500 by scal 2025.
Last year, Seven-Eleven Japan Co. released Seven Cafe smoothies at certain stores in Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture and other areas. Customers purchase a plastic cup containing frozen fruits and vegetables, which is then placed into a machine that mixes everything together to make a smoothie. ere are now about 1,650 stores that sell such drinks.
Smoothies have been popular overseas for many years. In Japan, the drinks have become more widely available since the 2010s, especially at cafes and smoothie shops.
Convenience stores have already been using co ee machines placed near the registers and in-house kitchens to o er freshly brewed co ee, so they are taking advantage of the space to o er freshly made smoothies.
MIXING IT UP
In addition to smoothies, a wide variety of frozen drinks has also hit the shelves.
In September, FamilyMart Co. added a new frappe avor, which is made using a type of Beniharuka sweet potato, to its lineup. Customers place the cup into a machine, which pours milk over the crushed ice and ice cream, located near the register.
Last year, Ministop Co. launched a line of Gurukuru drinks, which are a mixture of crushed ice, so -serve ice cream, crushed fruits and other ingredients. is year, the company added a strawberry milk avor and a chocolate orange avor, both of which include fresh fruits.
“If convenience store operators, which have the ability to purchase high-quality ingredients, launch products that look stylish and are attractive, such products could become new areas of growth for the businesses,” analyst of the retail industry Hiroaki Watanabe said.
SEASONAL PRODUCTS
As consumers visit convenience stores more frequently than they do department stores and shopping malls, convenience store operators have strong concerns that customers would “get bored” if stores only sold products that are available year-round, a person familiar with the industry said.
Convenience store sales are greatly a ected by the shop’s ability to attract customers through seasonal products and events.
In summer, convenience store operators o er a full lineup of so drinks and ice cream products, while in winter, they o er more oden hot pots near the register, as well as place more focus on steamed meat bun sales.
In September, FamilyMart started selling new black pork steamed buns at ¥198 and sold 2 million buns in one month.
Convenience store operators have also expanded their
lineups of Christmas cakes and osechi meals, the assortment of traditional dishes during the New Year holidays, in order to compete with department stores and other retailers for preorders.
Previously, a large amount of ehomaki rolled sushi, which is served around setsubun in February,
had to be thrown out due to overproduction. It was highlighted as a problem as it created a lot of food waste. As a result, convenience store operators were forced to take such steps as introducing a preorder system. Operators have been urged to reduce food loss through e cient procurement. (Oct. 25)