Providing Products and Services that Enrich Lives
Basic Approach
Recent changes in the social structure and lifestyles from the effects of Covid-19 on day-to-day life have created new needs for products and services. There are also growing expectations for product development and initiatives that enhance quality of life and address the growing health consciousness of consumers.
FamilyMart’s private Famimaru brand focuses on safety and quality at a level that we can safely recommend to our loved ones. In addition, we developed Convenience Wear, which is based on the concept of good materials, good technology, and good design.
In addition to the “convenient” nature of convenience stores, we are developing product strategies that encourage customers to visit our stores and purchase products, increasing the value of our private brand products, working on sustainable products and services, and providing products and services that are relevant to the local community.
Famimaru, a Private Brand that Focuses on Quality and Safety
FamilyMart’s private Famimaru brand is based on the concept of “Family Quality”. As befits the name FamilyMart, we develop and deliver to our customers products based on the key terms of “delicious”, “happy”, and “comforting”, that are high quality and safe, and which we can recommend to our loved ones with confidence and are endorsed by a wide range of customers.
At the same time, to properly convey the value that Famimaru aims to achieve customer satisfaction, we have paid great attention to every detail in developing the package design, such as highlighting the product’s appealing points as icons.
In addition to pursuing delicious tasting food that can be eaten daily, we also develop products that are environmentally friendly, such as using packaging materials that contain bio-materials.
Famimaru products focus on price, volume, and quality so that customers can feel they’re getting a bit of a bargain. The brand has been very well received by customers, and we will continue to expand the Famimaru product lineup.
The Idea Underlying Our Product Development
The concept behind “Family Quality” is “a level of quality and safety for which our products can be recommended to the whole family with peace of mind”. The keywords for developing Famimaru products are “delicious◎, happy◎, and comforting◎”.
Delicious◎ Efforts
Our foods are developed through taste surveys and repeated product development meetings. We set standards for developing products that give particular attention to raw materials and manufacturing methods, conduct comparative surveys with other companies' products, incorporate customer feedback, and make repeated improvements, all in the pursuit of deliciousness.
Happy◎ Efforts
We aim to provide an excellent level of quality and satisfaction so that our customers can confidently recommend our products to family, and provide them at an affordable price. For packaging, we provide easy-to-understand explanations on product use and features. We also incorporate universal design* as a way to realize product development that will delight customers.
*Universal designs are those that are easy to understand for a broad range of people, regardless of factors such as ability, age, gender, nationality, etc.
Comforting◎ Efforts
FamilyMart registers and sells only products that have passed our factory and inspection standards. We carefully manage products at their ideal temperature, and speedily and efficiently deliver them to maintain the same quality as when they were shipped. We are also promoting a switch to eco-friendly materials—for example, using packaging that includes bio-based materials and paper containers.
Our Three Famimaru Lines
Famimaru is available in three lines.
- Famimaru: Enriching everyday family life
- Famimaru KITCHEN: Supporting the family dining table
- Famimaru KITCHEN PREMIUM: High-quality selections focusing on manufacturing methods and ingredients
Features of Famimaru
1) Compelling Quality
Our pursuit revolves around achieving a gratifying quality; one that seamlessly integrates into daily life, offering a delectable experience fit for everyday consumption. Through diverse surveys and attentive customer feedback, we remain dedicated to crafting products that establish pioneering benchmarks.
2) Diverse Product Lineup
We are expanding our product lineup so our customers recognize our stores as a place for frequently used daily necessities such as our 100-yen daily necessities series.
3) Curated Selections of Desirable Products
Within our lineup, customers will discover captivating offerings that are exclusive to FamilyMart. These encompass distinctive collaborations with companies and content creators, alongside products overseen by renowned brands.
4) Clear and User-friendly Packaging
Our packaging is thoughtfully designed for simplicity, presenting key features as icons and attention-grabbers in prominent font sizes. The color scheme is also carefully chosen for effortless product recognition, alleviating strain on the sales floor.
5) Health and the Environmental Awareness
Within our assortment, we proudly feature health-conscious offerings, which we are actively highlighting through user-friendly icons on our products. Furthermore, we extend our commitment to customers by providing environmentally conscious packaging and products crafted from sustainable raw materials.
Proposing a New Lifestyle Convenience Wear
In 2021, FamilyMart rolled out our Convenience Wear series nationally. The series concept is “good materials, good technology and good design”. Until now, demand for clothing at convenience stores was extremely high for late-night emergencies, giving the impression that such clothes were something to be bought in a pinch. With this series, we aim to create reasonably priced clothing that supports daily lives and that can be easily and conveniently bought at any of our stores.
Presently, this collection has evolved to become an integral part of daily wear for a diverse clientele, including women.
In addition, we received the 2021 Good Design Award in recognition of our efforts to reexamine clothing and elevate it as a brand.
We continue to develop new ways to respond to everyday social changes and customer needs in an attempt to make the experience of buying clothes at a convenience store a more everyday occurrence.
TOPICS
Initiating the “Convenience Wear: Blue Green” Project for Global Sustainability!
Under the guidance of Mr. Hiromichi Ochiai, the visionary behind “Convenience Wear,” the innovative “Convenience Wear: Blue Green” initiative has been unveiled. This endeavor is driven by the notion of making incremental contributions to the global environment.
Launched in December 2022, the inaugural collection features four items, including an eco-bag, reusable straws, and a cutlery set. Following this success, we introduced an additional two items—a spoon and fork. Notably, we're actively working on groundbreaking concepts like “openable and washable straws,” designed for reusability through easy cleaning.
For a Growing Health Consciousness
Presenting Instant Health Insights with Iconography
In response to the surging health awareness, we are unveiling a selection of health-conscious products, empowering customers to select their daily meals with enhanced confidence.
Our approach involves incorporating icons to denote key nutritional elements such as protein, dietary fiber, and total carbohydrates, i.e. elements of paramount interest to our customers, within salads, sandwiches, and prepared foods. This strategic integration simplifies the process of identifying health-conscious products, allowing customers to swiftly recognize them while browsing in-store.
Low-carb Series
Low-carb products are attracting attention due to a recent increase in health consciousness. A low-carb diet, as opposed to calorie restriction, promotes moderate carbohydrate control, deliciousness and enjoyment, and appropriate carb intake. It is said that it is possible to suppress the rise in post-meal blood sugar levels by limiting the amount of low-carb sugar* to 20–40g per meal and 10g for snacks, rather than intentionally reducing carbohydrate intake to zero. (Source: Eat & Fun Health Association)
FamilyMart’s private Famimaru brand has been selling low-carbohydrate chocolate sweets and snacks that draw out the goodness of ingredients under the low-carb series. Packaging shows the Eat & Fun Health Association’s low-carb logo and that the product has low-carb sugar, making it easy for carbohydrate control.
Famimaru low-carbohydrate chocolate series also uses 100% sustainable raw cacao materials supplied by the global chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut and recognized as Cocoa Horizons Certified Cacao.
*Low-carb sugar (4 kcal of energy per gram) is calculated based on available carbohydrates, which is a different calculation from regular carb. It is derived from the philosophy of the Eat & Fun Health Association, which seeks to have people all over the world “eat deliciously, have fun, and be healthy”.
Smart Meal Certification
In August 2018, we became the first convenience store to obtain Smart Meal certification. The certification specifically went to a grilled salmon boxed lunch, named Aburiyaki Shake Makunouchi Bento, sold by reservation only. Developed to taste great with less salt and provide plenty of vegetables, the meal was recognized for providing nutritional balance with healthy ingredients.
Smart Meals are based on the standards set out in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Guidelines for Meals Provided for the Purpose of Preventing Lifestyle Diseases or Promoting Health (September 2015) and the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2015 edition). Additionally, Smart Meals are subject to review against actual healthy menu selections from four food service companies and certified by the Consortium of Healthy Meal and Healthy Food Environment, which is made up of several academic societies including THE JAPANESE SOCIETY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS.
Furthermore, the “Ajiwai Gozen,” a Smart Meal certified trio, has garnered praise for its harmonious blend of nutrition and mild flavors, accentuated by vibrant, colorful vegetables.
Winner of Gold Prize at JSH Reduced-Salt Food Products Awards
Our Reduced-Salt Japanese-Style Dressing in a small-pouch form sold separately from salads was awarded the Gold Prize at the Fifth JSH Reduced-Salt Food Products Awards*¹ (sponsored by the Salt Reduction Committee of the Japanese Society of Hypertension). It was the first time for a convenience store to win the Gold Prize. Since its launch, many customers have come to choose the dressing, which has 25% less sodium*² but keeps the full flavor of ordinary dressing since it is made with the delicious taste of vegetables, and was chosen for the prize as a “product with excellent results in promoting salt reduction”.
*¹ JSH Reduced-Salt Food Products Awards: The Salt Reduction Committee of the Japanese Society of Hypertension began introducing reduced-salt food products (the JSH Reduced-Salt Food Products List) in 2013 as useful information for hypertension patients and other people trying to reduce their sodium intake. In 2015, it started handing out JSH Reduced-Salt Food Products Awards to products on the list that it considered outstanding examples of sodium reduction.
*² Contains 25% less sodium than standard Japanese-style dressing based on Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan - 2015 - (Seventh Revised Edition).
New Services for Customer Convenience and Diversified Lifestyles
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Service
Since 2010, FamilyMart has been at the forefront of establishing local infrastructure by installing fast chargers at its stores. As of the end of February 2022, approximately 650 of our nationwide stores are equipped with these chargers, securing our position as the leading retailer in terms of quick charger installations. In the fiscal year 2022, we are embarking on an upgrade journey, transitioning from the existing 20kW-class quick chargers to robust 50kW- to 100kW-class chargers. Our projection is to accomplish this upgrade for around 220 stores by the end of fiscal year 2023. Through the expansion of high-output quick chargers across our stores and the provision of exceptionally convenient recharging services, we are actively promoting the adoption of electric vehicles. Our commitment extends towards cultivating an eco-friendly society that addresses global warming and local community needs, contributing significantly to achieving a low-carbon future.
Sharing Services
To develop new convenience store-based lifestyle support service, FamilyMart is promoting the installation of sharing service bases in our stores. As of April 2023, 758 stores nationwide have installed shared cycle ports and electric scooter ports, which helps meet not only growing needs from increased health consciousness and diversified lifestyles, but also reduces environmental impacts. We are also expanding our mobile battery rental service, which allows customers to rent batteries for their smartphones and other mobile devices, when and where they are needed. After use, the battery can be returned to a rental stand other than the location where it was rented. As of April 2023, this service has been installed in approximately 7,000 stores nationwide as a convenient emergency service.
Locker Services for Delivery and Pickup
FamilyMart maximizes its store space to offer an array of services tailored to the unique lifestyles of its customers, including those that facilitate non-personal, contactless package sending and receiving. At the forefront of these efforts is the “Mercari Post,” currently available at 1,022 units as of the end of February 2023. This innovative service streamlines the process of shipping items sold on Mercari. Customers can conveniently drop off their sold items without the need for a cash register (available for shipments of Nekopos and TA-Q-BIN compact size packages only). Moreover, an ongoing installation initiative is underway for “Amazon Lockers,” with 358 units as of the end of February 2023, providing another seamless option for customers to collect their Amazon purchases with ease. This feature allows customers to input specific receipt codes via a touch screen, enabling them to receive their Amazon orders directly from the store.
