FamilyMart facts for kids
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FamilyMart's headquarters in Shibaura, Tokyo
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Native name
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株式会社ファミリーマート
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Romanized name
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Kabushiki gaisha FamirīMāto |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Convenience stores |
| Founded | September 1973 in Sayama, Japan (incorporated September 1, 1981) |
| Founder | Seibu Retailing Group |
| Headquarters | Tamachi Station Tower S, , |
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Number of locations
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24,941 (July 2021) |
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Areas served
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Japan Taiwan China mainland Philippines Thailand Vietnam Indonesia Malaysia |
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Key people
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| Products | |
| Revenue | JPY 477.5 bn (2017) |
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Operating income
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JPY 42.8 bn (2017) |
| JPY 21.9 bn (2017) | |
| Total assets | JPY 730.3 bn (2016) |
| Total equity | JPY 295.2 bn (2016) |
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Number of employees
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16,601 (2017) |
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| Subsidiaries | Famima!! |
FamilyMart is a super popular convenience store chain from Japan. It is the second biggest convenience store chain in Japan, right after Seven-Eleven Japan.
You can find over 24,000 FamilyMart stores all around the world. They are in countries like Japan, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The main office for FamilyMart is in Tokyo, Japan.
FamilyMart stores sell many different kinds of Japanese convenience store items. These include basic groceries, magazines, and manga comics. They also offer soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, and tasty hot snacks. Some popular snacks are nikuman (steamed pork buns), fried chicken, and onigiri (rice balls). You can also find bento (lunch boxes) and coffee.
One cool thing about FamilyMart is its special doorbell sound. It plays a unique melody when you walk into the store. This melody is called Melody Chime No.1 – Daiseikyou. It was created by Yasuhi Inada in 1978.
Contents
How FamilyMart Grew
The very first FamilyMart store opened in 1973. It was located in a city called Sayama, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
The company grew quickly over the years. They opened about 500 new stores every three years. In 2002, FamilyMart became a public company in Taiwan. This meant people could buy shares in the company.
FamilyMart has many stores that are run by local partners. These are called franchise stores. You can find them in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam.
In October 2013, FamilyMart reached a big milestone. They opened their 10,000th store in Japan! The company continues to grow fast, especially in Asia.
By January 2018, there were 24,243 FamilyMart stores worldwide. Most of these stores are in Japan. However, they are growing very quickly in other Asian countries.
FamilyMart used to be the largest convenience store chain in South Korea. They started there in 1990. But in 2012, those stores changed their name to CU. FamilyMart later sold its share in the South Korean business.
FamilyMart Around the World
FamilyMart has stores in many different countries. Each country has its own story of how FamilyMart grew there.
China Mainland
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FamilyMart opened its first store in Shanghai, China, in 2004. Since then, it has spread to many other big cities. These include Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.
You can also find stores in Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuxi, Beijing, and Dongguan. By December 2020, there were over 2,967 FamilyMart stores in mainland China.
Malaysia
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The first FamilyMart store in Malaysia opened on November 11, 2016. It was in Kuala Lumpur. FamilyMart quickly became popular there. It was one of the first convenience stores to sell soft serve ice cream and fresh snacks.
FamilyMart Malaysia works hard to make sure its food is suitable for everyone. All their ready-to-eat food is made with halal ingredients. This means the ingredients follow Islamic dietary laws. They are also working to get official halal certification.
By May 2021, there were 242 FamilyMart stores across Malaysia. They planned to open 300 stores by 2022.
Philippines
FamilyMart started in the Philippines on April 7, 2013. It was a partnership between several companies. The first store opened in Makati City.
Later, in 2017, a company called Phoenix Petroleum took over the FamilyMart franchise. By 2018, this change was complete. Now, there are more than 65 FamilyMart stores in the Philippines. Some of them are even located at Phoenix Petroleum gas stations.
On November 21, 2019, FamilyMart opened its largest store in the world. It is located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. This huge store is about 390 square meters in size.
Taiwan
FamilyMart began opening stores in Taiwan in 1988. Taiwan has a lot of convenience stores. In May 2012, there was about one store for every 2,500 people. This was the highest number per person in the world.
While 7-Eleven is the most popular convenience store in Taiwan, FamilyMart is the second most popular.
As of January 2018, FamilyMart had 3,165 stores in Taiwan. They also handle many bill payments for people. Over 100 million bills are paid at FamilyMart stores each year. By October 2021, there were over 3,600 FamilyMart stores in Taiwan.
Thailand
FamilyMart opened its first store in Thailand in 1993. Over the years, it grew to more than 1,000 locations. In May 2020, FamilyMart changed its partnership in Thailand.
The stores kept the FamilyMart name for a while. However, their agreement ended in 2023. The remaining FamilyMart stores in Thailand are now changing their name to Tops Daily.
Vietnam
FamilyMart opened its first store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2009. They first worked with a local company. After 2013, the companies decided to go their separate ways.
Some of the original FamilyMart stores became B's Mart stores. As of 2017, FamilyMart operated 130 stores in Ho Chi Minh City.
Former Locations
FamilyMart has also had stores in other countries that they no longer operate in.
South Korea
By May 2012, there were 7,271 FamilyMart stores in South Korea. But in June 2012, these stores changed their name to CU. This happened because the local partner, BGF Retail, wanted FamilyMart to leave the South Korean market.
By March 2014, FamilyMart had completely left South Korea. Some stores were even in North Korea for South Korean visitors. But these stores are now closed.
United States
FamilyMart started opening stores in Los Angeles, California, in July 2005. They planned to open many stores in the United States. The stores there were called "Famima!!".
However, in November 2010, FamilyMart decided to stop opening new stores in the U.S. They kept only 10 locations. In October 2015, FamilyMart closed all its stores in the United States. They left the U.S. market completely.
Cool Technology at FamilyMart
FamilyMart has used some interesting technology in its stores.
Solar Power
FamilyMart has used solar power at some of its stores since at least 2004. They want to use more solar energy in the future. Solar power helps stores use clean energy from the sun.
Automatic Cashiers
In January 2006, FamilyMart started trying out automatic cashier stations. This was in one of its Tokyo stores. Special tags on items in a customer's shopping basket could be read instantly. This made checking out very fast and easy.
See also
- List of convenience stores
Images for kids
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FamilyMart's current logo
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FamilyMart's headquarters in Shibaura, Tokyo
