FamilyMart Japan culls staff as store network shrinks

FamilyMart Japan is reducing its operational costs by letting go 800 employees.

The redundancies equate to about one in 10 of the convenience-store operator’s total staff count, and will be offered with severance packages for volunteers who opt to leave the firm. Moves will also be made to allow the brand’s franchisees to operate shorter opening hours.

“We got bigger after the repeated consolidations, but we have yet to streamline,” said FamilyMart Japan president Takashi Sawada in a Nikkei report. “Even if there isn’t an agreement with the home office, we will respond in accordance with the intent of what member stores decide.”

The staff cuts follow a gradual reduction in outlets from 18,000 in 2016 to 16,500 this year.