Japanese C-Store Chain Lawson to Expand in Philippines
In a partnership with Ayala, Lawson will add 450 locations by 2024.
Oct 14, 2019
TOKYO —Japanese c-store operator Lawson announced plans to open about 500 more stores in the Philippines by 2024. Nikkei Asian Review reports that this equates to a tenfold increase from the current 50 existing stores.
Previously, Lawson aimed to open 500 stores in the Philippines by February 2021 through a joint partnership with supermarket operator Puregold Price Club. Puregold pulled out of the c-store business though and sold its shares back to Lawson, prompting Lawson to begin a search for a new partner.
Ayala, a holding company in real estate, telecommunications, utilities and financial services, eventually joined—specifically its logistics group company. Nikkei Asian Review said that “Lawson is also considering collaborating with Ayala's online retail business, such as contributing convenience stores to be used as product pickup depots.”
Lawson currently oversees 2,547 offshore locations, which is up 30% from last year. Most locations are in China. But in the Philippines, Lawson is competing against other Japanese rivals like Seven & i Holdings unit Seven-Eleven Japan, which has about 2,700 stores in the Philippines and Ministop, which operates approximately 500 locations, while FamilyMart, a unit of FamilyMart UNY Holdings administers roughly 70 outlets.
For a closer look at the c-store retail landscape in Asia, mark your calendars for the NACS Convenience Summit Asia, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, March 3–5, 2020.
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