Un artiolo del Japan Times (soft paywall) parla del passato e del futuro dei konbini (abbreviazione per convenience store) in Giappone in occasione del 40esimo anniversario dell’apertura del primo Family Mart a Sayama, nella prefettura di Saitama:

Opening several years before other U.S. convenience stores arrived in Japan, the outlet in Sayama sought to develop “a Japanese style of convenience,” according to PR materials provided by Family Mart. From the outset, the chain wasn’t satisfied with replicating convenience stores from the United States in Japan but instead wanted to create something new.

According to a July report from the Japan Franchise Association, the total number of convenience stores in Japan currently stands at 55,931, an increase of more than 10,000 outlets from a decade ago.

L’importanza dei konbini in Giappone è diventata ancora più evidente in seguito al terremoto del 2011:

“While supermarkets and department stores were forced to close following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, many convenience stores stayed open thanks to their production system and distribution networks”, Yoshioka said. “They have been recognized as a necessary part of ‘social infrastructure’ because people don’t just stop there, but also access ATMs and other services.”

Nonostante un passato di crescita continua e un presente di festeggiamenti per l’anniversario, il futuro dei konbini in Giappone sembra meno roseo, anche alla luce delle difficoltà del periodo pandemico:

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t revealed new cracks in the convenience store marketplace as much as it has accelerated what was already happening. For the first time in history, convenience stores in Japan have reported a year-on-year decline in revenue that has been attributed directly to the coronavirus pandemic.

Le possibilità di espansione in Giappone sono limitate, soprattutto a causa del declino demografico e dell’invecchiamento della popolazione. Questo però apre le porte ad una potenziale espansione a livello internazionale, in particolare verso i paesi del sudest asiatico.

Un articolo della BBC parla del konbini come del vero protagonista del romanzo Convenience Store Woman di Sakaya Murata:

However, the true star of the unorthodox character’s story is her workplace, described as a tiny ecosystem, aimed not only at providing consumers nourishment, but also infusing their lives with new sources of joy.

“A convenience store is not merely a place where customers come to buy practical necessities,” said Furukura in the novel’s opening pages. “It has to be somewhere they can enjoy and take pleasure in discovering things they like.”

Un articolo su Nippon.com parla a sua volta delle difficoltà dei konbini nel marcato giapponese, ormai saturo:

There are now three basic issues facing the convenience store industry. First is a perennial labor shortage, which is triggering the second issue, the increasing difficulty they have in operating 24 hours a day—a practice also facing opposition from the Japan Fair Trade Commission and popular sentiment. Third is market saturation exacerbated by Japan’s aging and shrinking population.
[…] The move toward unstaffed convenience stores is gaining traction in Japan, but there are some barriers.

L’avvento dei konbini automatizzati e privi di staff è anche discusso in questo articolo di Japan Today.