History
The first FamilyMart opened in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, in 1973. In 2002, it was listed as a company in Taiwan.[8]
In October 2013, FamilyMart opened its 10,000th store in Japan.[9][10] Operations in certain parts of Asia, especially China, continue to expand.[11] FamilyMart also operated stores in South Korea from 1990 until 2014, when FamilyMart sold its stake in BGF Retail and divested from South Korea.[12][13]
As of January 2018, there were 24,243 stores worldwide; 17,409 stores in Japan, 3,165 stores in Taiwan, 2,177 stores in China, 1,138 stores in Thailand, 277 stores in Malaysia, 165 stores in Vietnam, 87 stores in Indonesia, and 66 stores in the Philippines.
FamilyMart was a subsidiary of the FamilyMart UNY Holdings Co., Ltd. (UFHD), which also owned supermarket chain UNY, until 2020. UFHD was dissolved when Uny was acquired by the parent company of Don Quijote in 2020.
FamilyMart Co.'s parent company is Itochu, a Japanese trading company, with a stake of 50.1%.[3] On July 8, 2020, Itochu announced it would spend approximately ¥580 billion (approx US$5.5 billion) to purchase 100% of FamilyMart, with the intent to sell 4.9% of the shares to Zen-Noh and Norinchukin Bank.[14] FamilyMart shareholders approved the takeover on October 26, and the stock was delisted on November 12, thus leading the completion of the acquisition.[15]
International operations
Mainland China
FamilyMart opened its first store in Shanghai, China, in 2004. Since then, the chain has expanded to Guangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou. Other stores are in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuxi, Beijing and Dongguan. By December 2020, there are over 2,967 FamilyMart stores in mainland China.[16]
Malaysia
FamilyMart opened its first store in Malaysia at Wisma Lim Foo Yong in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur on November 11, 2016. It has become popular because it is the first convenience store selling soft serve ice cream and fresh snacks.[17]
FamilyMart Malaysia are owned by Maxincome Resources Sdn Bhd which is one of QL Resources Bhd subsidiary.
