Japanese Convenience Stores Go Online

Seven-Eleven Japan has launched a new online store (www.7dream.com). In a partnership with a number of leading companies including, NEC, Sony, Mitsui & Co, and Japan Travel Bureau, the online store will offer Japanese consumers the ease of shopping online with the convenience of picking up and paying for their online purchases at their local Seven-Eleven convenience store.

In a counter move, two days later a group of seventeen companies, led by two convenience store chains; Sunkus & Associates Inc. and Circle K Japan Co., announced they have set up a new joint venture to offer similar services to the Seven-Eleven initiative. However the new company, TOKI-MEKI.COM CO, has a long way to go to catch up to 7dream.com. They are expecting to conduct trials in October and to launch the service next February.