Japan's FamilyMart to test alternatives to 24-hour model

Convenience store chain joins moves to help short-handed franchisees

This FamilyMart in Yokohama, which is testing out a new labor-saving facial recognition system with Panasonic, does not operate 24 hours a day. (Photo by Kei Higuchi)

TAKUYA IMAI, Nikkei staff writer

April 10, 2019 01:51 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese convenience store operator FamilyMart will recruit franchisees to test shorter hours as the industry grapples with a labor crunch that has made it harder to maintain the traditional round-the-clock model, Nikkei has learned.