
Asahi: Lawson to start 100-yen `supermarket' chain
In a bid to cash in on cost-cutting consumers, Lawson Inc. will open outlets that are similar to 100-yen stores but operate like small-scale supermarkets, the company said Monday. Lawson's new outlets, the first of which will open Friday in Tokyo's Nerima Ward, will offer everything from miscellaneous daily goods to fresh vegetables and packaged meat, company officials said. Lawson plans to operate about 100 of the stores by the end of February 2006, and eventually increase that number to between 700 and 1,000 by February 2008, the officials said. Ordinary items sold at convenience stores, including beverages and daily commodities, will be priced at 100 yen, excluding tax.