Striped socks keep FamilyMart a step ahead in Japan's convenience store wars

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FamilyMart has sold 40 million pairs of its striped socks since 2021, turning an unlikely convenience-store hit into a growing fashion business.

TOKYO: For some people, the blue, green and white striped socks hanging near the entrance of a FamilyMart convenience store may look more like an emergency purchase than a fashion statement.

Yet the 390 yen (US$2.44) socks have become one of Japan's best-known products at convenience stores, which are usually the go-to for snacks and drinks. With 40 million pairs sold since 2021, they have helped FamilyMart reinvent itself as a lifestyle brand in the competitive "conbini" market.

Now, Japan's second-largest convenience store chain is building on that fashion credential with a wider range of lifestyle items, including matching bandanas for pets and owners, in a push for growth beyond daily necessities. It has also backed the strategy with branding initiatives including a recruitment campaign featuring pop star Lady Gaga.

The effort to cultivate a fashionable image is helping FamilyMart stand out as inflation-weary shoppers cut back on spending, drugstores eat into sales of household staples, and a shrinking population limits expansion opportunities in a market saturated with around 56,000 stores.

"FamilyMart has really upped its style game over the past year or two," said Tatsuhiko Yuki, a 56-year-old taxi driver and regular customer.

Yuki describes FamilyMart as a destination for collectibles, having purchased 20 pairs of its striped socks, including limited-edition versions inspired by Nintendo game "Animal Crossing", along with a dozen other FamilyMart items such as towels.

FamilyMart, known as "Famima" and for its blue, white and green branding, launched its Convenience Wear line in 2021, tapping parent Itochu's textile expertise and teaming up with Facetasm streetwear designer Hiromichi Ochiai.

Fuelled by social media buzz, the business has become a more than 20 billion yen operation, with sales set to rise another 30 per cent…

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