- 14 Mar 2002
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The shortage in labour force drives Seven-Eleven Japan to test a partial night closure at 10 of their outlets which will be closed between 11p.m. and 7a.m. The trial will only be conducted at stores directly controlled by 7-11 and not at franchise stores which are affected most.
Source: Seven-Eleven Japan to test partial closing of outlets at night
But from mid-March, the 10 outlets in Tokyo and seven prefectures will open only from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., during which time the effects of shorter hours on sales and product delivery will be checked. An official with Seven & i Holdings Co., the parent company of Seven-Eleven Japan, said the company's move is aimed at preparing "for social structural changes such as a graying and declining population." About 98 percent of the 20,000 or so Seven-Eleven Japan outlets are operated by franchise owners. Those outlets will not be part of the trial run, leading one owner in his 60s who manages an outlet in the Kansai region to rant: "Why is this being done at directly-operated outlets? The figures can be fiddled with in any number of ways. I think it is nothing but a publicity stunt that serves as a precondition to the eventual announcement that 'the experiment showed no effects.'"
Source: Seven-Eleven Japan to test partial closing of outlets at night