Lawson's First U.S. C-stores to Open This Weekend

HONOLULU -- Lawson's, Japan's No. 2 convenience store chain behind 7-Eleven, enters the U.S. market this weekend with two new stores in Hawaii's main tourism district, reports the Pacific Business Journal. Both locations will open their doors July 7 at 10 a.m.

The new stores, previously announced in April, are located in the lobby level of the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and in a street-front space inside the Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa. Forty new employees have been hired, according to the report.

Lawson's, which operates more than 10,000 c-stores in Japan, originated in Ohio in 1939 and began operating overseas in the 1970s. The new stores that mark its return to the U.S. will be managed by a local Lawson subsidiary created in last January.

The company plans to open between 30 and 50 stores in Hawaii, as CSNews Online previously reported. The U.S. market is reportedly a top priority for CEO Takeshi Niinami, and future expansion to the mainland is likely.