Japanese convenience store debuts in Hawaii

Japanese convenience store debuts in Hawaii

Story by Kristine Uyeno for Khon.com

One of the largest convenience store chains in Japan is getting ready to enter the U.S. and the company is making its American debut in Hawaii.

The store is called Lawson Station and it's about to open its doors at two locations in Waikiki.

Food, magazines and Hawaiian souvenirs. This might look like a typical convenience store, but Lawson Station officials claim it's not.

"This is a big step for us, Lawson USA, so that's why I'm kind of excited." said Rey Toshinaga, Lawson Station manager.

The company is making its American debut in Hawaii. It includes this 2,100-square-foot location in the Sheraton Waikiki, and a smaller store at the Moana Surfrider. The stores will feature Japanese beauty products, Japanese magazines, and:

"We have a lot of Japanese food, which is like onigiri and oden, oden means Japanese winter part dishes," Toshinaga said.

Lawson is the second largest convenience store chain in Japan with over 10,000 outlets, and more than 400 in China and Indonesia. Locally, the company will target Japanese tourists who are already familiar with their business.

"Lawson is something you can find everywhere in Japan and it's very convenient for everybody," said Satoshi Azuma, tourist, through a translator.

"He could only find 7-11, so he's happy that Lawson is coming here," said Masanori Matsumoto, tourist, through a translator.

Lawson Station will compete with nearly 40 ABC Stores in Waikiki. Officials at ABC Stores declined to comment, but Lawson Station store manager Rey Toshinaga says, there will be a big difference between the two companies.

"We're going to present kind of a different customer service, such as in Japan, we have high-quality customer service," Toshinaga said.

The company has hired 50 employees locally, with plans of opening up to 30 stores on Oahu over the next three years, and possibly more on the Neighbor Islands. Lawson also hopes to unveil more stores on the Mainland.

Friday, both stores will have a private opening. Then on Saturday, doors will open to the public at 6am.

Commentary: It will be interesting to see how the prices compare between the two stores, how the new business will perform in Hawaii. ABC stores have been a long time fixture in Honolulu for years, proving to be very convenient for visitors and locals alike, when something was needed right away.