Japan Stores Grapple With Worker Shortage
Amid a lack of staff, FamilyMart expands test of shorter operating hours in more outlets.
Sep 19, 2019
TOKYO—FamilyMart Co, one of the largest convenience operators in Japan, will expand its test of shorter operating hours, according to RetailinAsia.com.
Beginning in mid-October and running until mid-December, the number of FamilyMart franchised stores in the test will jump from 21 to 661, and participating locations will be able to set their own closing times. When the test is complete, FamilyMart Japan will establish a new policy on store operating hours, the company said.
As NACS Daily reported in March, most c-stores in Japan have been 24-hour operations since the ‘70s. But during the past few years, more stores have been forced to close at night due to a shortage of employees, according to a spokesperson for a franchise owner’s labor union.
Union members say they need more flexibility in setting hours for their franchised stores, but convenience chains have hesitated to let franchisees control their own store schedules. Critics believe that such a policy would put the chains at risk of losing more part-time workers—and even franchisees.
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