01-Feb-18, Nikkei Asian Review
7-Eleven Japan surpassed 20,000 convenience stores in Jan-18, becoming the first retail chain in the country to cross the milestone.
%20Nikkei%20Asian%20Review.jpg "Seven Eleven becomes first retailer to hit 20000 stores in Japan (c) Nikkei Asian Review")
Image: Nikkei Asian Review
The Seven & i Holdings unit reported an end-of-month store count of 20,033, up by 54 from the end of December. By comparison, Japan has about 24,000 post offices.
7-Eleven Japan debuted in Tokyo's Toyosu district in May 1974 and grew to 10,000 stores in August 2003, nearly three decades later. It operates in 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures - the holdout being Okinawa, where locations are to open during fiscal 2019.