TOKYO – Japan’s packaging industry is being forced to dramatically change its formats and portion sizes, adopting technologies such as light-weighting and downsizing its products, thanks to the rise of Japan’s “konbini’ convenience stores.

An article in Food Production Daily discusses the ways in which the country’s retail landscape is changing, as the once-typical weekly shopping trip becomes less common as more consumers turn to their local convenience stores.

According to the article, Japan’s convenience store count increased by 13.4% in 2012, compared to the previous year, pre-tsunami. With further growth in 2013, the latest count of “konbini” stores now stands at approximately 56,820.

Retailers in Japan are aggressively using supply chain management strategies and exerting pressure on suppliers to provide smaller product shipments that can be unpacked faster, stacked and displayed easily, and generate less in-store packaging waste.