Japan convenience store sales rise 3.7% to all-time high in 2022

Convenience store sales in Japan rose 3.7 percent on a year-on-year basis to a record 11.2 trillion yen ($87.2 billion) in 2022, as customers returned after the government lifted COVID-19 restrictions and promoted a domestic travel subsidy program, an industry body said Friday.

The same-store sales of seven major convenience store operators grew for the second consecutive year, thanks to robust sales of items such as boxed lunches, rice balls, frozen food products and soft drinks, according to the Japan Franchise Association.

Sales were boosted as buying daily necessities in bulk at one locati...