Seven-Eleven Case Study
Seven-Eleven Japan1
Established in 1973, Seven-Eleven Japan set up its first store in Koto-ku, Tokyo, in May 1974. The company was first listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October 1979. In 2004 it was owned by the Ito-Yokado group, which also managed a chain of supermarkets in Japan and owned a majority share in Southland, the company managing 7-Eleven in the United States. On September 1, 2005, Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd., was established as the holding company for Seven-Eleven Japan, Ito-Yokado, and Denny’s Japan. Seven-Eleven Japan realized a phenomenal growth between the years of 1985 and 2007. During that period, the number of stores increased from 2,299 to 12,034, annual sales increased from 386 billion to 2,574 billion yen; and net income increased from 9 billion to 91.5 billion yen. Additionally, the company’s return on equity (ROE) averaged around 14 percent between 2000 and 2004. In 2004, Seven-Eleven Japan represented Japan’s largest retailer in terms of operating income and number of stores. Customer visits to Seven-Eleven outlets totaled 4.1 billion in 2007, averaging almost 35 visits to a Seven-Eleven annually for every person in Japan. Company History and Profile Both Ito-Yokado and Seven-Eleven Japan were founded by Masatoshi Ito. He started his retail empire after World War II, when he joined his mother and elder brother and began to work in a small clothing store in Tokyo. By 1960 he was in sole control, and the single store had grown into a $3 million company. After a trip to the United States in 1961, Ito became convinced that superstores were the wave of the future. At that time, Japan was still dominated by mom-and-pop stores. Ito’s chain of superstores in the Tokyo area was instantly popular and soon constituted the core of Ito-Yokado’s retail operations. In 1972, Ito first approached the Southland Corporation about the possibility of opening Seven-Eleven convenience stores in Japan. After rejecting his initial request, Southland agreed
Established in 1973, Seven-Eleven Japan set up its first store in Koto-ku, Tokyo, in May 1974. The company was first listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October 1979. In 2004 it was owned by the Ito-Yokado group, which also managed a chain of supermarkets in Japan and owned a majority share in Southland, the company managing 7-Eleven in the United States. On September 1, 2005, Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd., was established as the holding company for Seven-Eleven Japan, Ito-Yokado, and Denny’s Japan. Seven-Eleven Japan realized a phenomenal growth between the years of 1985 and 2007. During that period, the number of stores increased from 2,299 to 12,034, annual sales increased from 386 billion to 2,574 billion yen; and net income increased from 9 billion to 91.5 billion yen. Additionally, the company’s return on equity (ROE) averaged around 14 percent between 2000 and 2004. In 2004, Seven-Eleven Japan represented Japan’s largest retailer in terms of operating income and number of stores. Customer visits to Seven-Eleven outlets totaled 4.1 billion in 2007, averaging almost 35 visits to a Seven-Eleven annually for every person in Japan. Company History and Profile Both Ito-Yokado and Seven-Eleven Japan were founded by Masatoshi Ito. He started his retail empire after World War II, when he joined his mother and elder brother and began to work in a small clothing store in Tokyo. By 1960 he was in sole control, and the single store had grown into a $3 million company. After a trip to the United States in 1961, Ito became convinced that superstores were the wave of the future. At that time, Japan was still dominated by mom-and-pop stores. Ito’s chain of superstores in the Tokyo area was instantly popular and soon constituted the core of Ito-Yokado’s retail operations. In 1972, Ito first approached the Southland Corporation about the possibility of opening Seven-Eleven convenience stores in Japan. After rejecting his initial request, Southland agreed