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Lawson

#2177

Rank

$7.26B

Marketcap

JP Japan

Country

Lawson
Leadership team

Mr. Sadanobu Takemasu (Chairman, Pres & CSO)

Tatsuya Murase (Sr. Exec. Officer & GM of Sales Headquarters)

Mr. Masakatsu Gonai (Sr. Managing Exec. Officer, CRO, GM of Bus. Support Division & Assistant CSO)

Products/ Services
Information Technology
Number of Employees
1,000 - 20,000
Headquarters
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Established
1975
Net Income
100M - 500M
Revenue
Above - 1B
Traded as
2651.T
Social Media
Overview
Location
Summary
Lawson, Inc. operates and franchises convenience stores under the Lawson, Lawson Store 100, and Natural Lawson names in Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. It operates through Domestic Convenience Store Business, Seijo Ishii Business, Entertainment-Related Business, Financial Services Business, and Overseas Business segments. The company's stores provide ready-made dishes, including bento lunchboxes, rice balls, deep-fried items, and salads, as well as coffee and sweets; and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, cosmetics, and daily necessities. It also sells tickets for events; and music CD and DVD products, and books through its stores, as well as online. In addition, the company engages in the operation of a chain of supermarkets; management of HMV stores; and operation of United Cinemas movie theaters and MACHI café, as well as ATM at LAWSON stores. Further, the company engages in the banking related business. It operates 14,640 Lawson, Lawson Store 100, and Natural Lawson stores in Japan; 389 United Cinema movie theater screens; 57 HMV stores; 24 nursing care consultation stores; 13,458 LAWSON ATMs; 154 Seijo Ishii supermarket stores; and 335 Lawson hospitals. The company was formerly known as Daiei Convenience Systems, Co. Ltd. and changed its name to Lawson, Inc. in June 1996. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Tokyo Japan. Lawson, Inc. is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation.
History

Origins in Ohio

In 1939, dairy owner James "J.J." Lawson started a store at his Broad Boulevard dairy plant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to sell his milk. The Lawson's Milk Company grew into a chain of stores, primarily in Ohio. Lawson was bought out by Consolidated Foods in 1959.

Lawson's neighborhood convenience stores were common in Ohio from the 1960s through the mid-1980s, selling milk, bread, eggs, orange juice, and specialty items such as deli counter 'chipped' style ham and sour cream potato chip dips. Locations also extended into neighboring states such as Pennsylvania, where Lawson's had a presence in the western portion of the state, including Pittsburgh.

Consolidated was renamed Sara Lee in 1985. At about the same time, Lawson's stores in the United States were sold to Dairy Mart, a smaller chain of convenience stores located in Enfield, Connecticut. Dairy Mart moved its headquarters to Cuyahoga Falls, renamed the Lawson's stores, and operated the chain as Dairy Mart for the next 17 years. Under Dairy Mart, the chain experienced some controversy. Dairy Mart was sued by the American Family Association, after a Dairy Mart manager in Ohio complained that the company's policy of selling pornography subjected her to sexual and religious harassment. The court case, Stanley v. Lawson Co., was seen as a test of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court ultimately ruled in favor of Lawson.In 2002, a Canadian-based convenience store company, Alimentation Couche-Tard of Laval, Quebec, bought the assets and name of Dairy Mart. Most of the former Dairy Mart stores, which were either originally Lawson's stores, or were located in communities in which Lawson's once had a presence, were converted to the Circle K brand. Due to demand from consumers, it was announced that Lawson's Chip Dip would continue to be sold no matter what the name of the store. A few independently owned Dairy Mart stores in the Columbus, Ohio area survived independent of Circle K and continuing to use the Dairy Mart name and final logo under license from Alimentation Couche-Tard, though in September 2021 these stores went unbranded, officially retiring the Dairy Mart name.

Circle K retains a large presence in Ohio to this day due to the enduring legacy of Lawson's, especially in Northeast Ohio and Columbus, primarily competing with Speedway. However, many of the former Lawson's stores under Dairy Mart in Pennsylvania closed during the late 1990s, and only a few survived by the time Circle K took over the locations. Much of this can be attributed to stronger competition in Pennsylvania from 7-Eleven and Altoona-based Sheetz, as well as UniMart and United Refining Company. Additionally, unlike in Ohio, Dairy Mart failed to invest in fuel sales at its Pennsylvania stores. Circle K retains a small presence in Western Pennsylvania today, but unlike Ohio is a non-factor in the area going up against Sheetz, 7-Eleven/Speedway, GetGo, and locally owned Coen Markets.

Presence in Japan

In 1974, Consolidated signed a formal agreement with The Daiei, Inc., a retail company which also ran a supermarket chain, to open the first Lawson stores in Japan. On April 15, 1975, Daiei Lawson Co., Ltd. was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Daiei. The first store opened in Sakurazuka, Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture in June 1975. In September 1979 the official name was changed to Lawson Japan, Inc. The Mitsubishi Corporation became the main shareholder in 2001.Lawson is one of the top convenience store chains in Japan, third to convenience franchise giants 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. All of the usual Japanese convenience store goods, such as magazines, video games, manga, soft drinks, onigiri, pastry roulette and bento are available. Lawson has occasionally collaborated on tie-ins with various companies, including Koei's PlayStation 3 game Dynasty Warriors 7. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a Lawson store in author Hirohiko Araki's native Sendai was remodeled to look like the "Owson" store that appears in part 4 of the series. In late 2013, a crossover with All Japan Pro Wrestling saw Triple Crown heavyweight wrestling champion Kohei Suwama appear in ads and even work the till for a photo-op in a Tokyo location. In early 2016, a Lawson-sponsored Power Cube was introduced into the online game Ingress. DDM and Kadokawa's Kantai Collection also tapped Lawson in limited promotional materials, featuring character representations of shipgirls such as Kashima in Lawson crew outfits, whose popularity persisted long after the promo.

To date, Lawson operates over 11,384 stores. They are found in all 47 prefectures of Japan, as well as China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and United States . In 2014, the company announced plans to open stores specifically designed for elderly consumers.In September 2014, Lawson announced it would acquire Japanese chain Seijo Ishii Co. for around $503 million from Marunouchi Capital.In October 2016, Lawson announced it was partnering with The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. After receiving the appropriate license from the Japanese Financial Services Agency, the move would allow Lawson stores to offer cash withdrawal, deposit and transfer services, over and above the ATM services that are already provided.In February 2017, Lawson became a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp.Among the more notable fans of Lawson include professional wrestler Chris Jericho, who would frequently shop at Lawson when he wrestled in Japan in the 1990s. Jericho still visits Lawson whenever he returns to Japan, whether to wrestle or if he is touring with his rock band Fozzy.In 2005, Lawson opened its first "Lawson 100" store, where items are 100 yen plus 5 yen tax for a total of 105yen.

Return to the United States

With the establishment of "Lawson USA Hawaii, Inc.", Lawson returned to the U.S. market, with two locations in Honolulu opening on July 7, 2012. One of the stores is in the Sheraton Waikiki, while the other is in the Moana Hotel.Further expansion in both Hawaii and the mainland U.S. is planned.

Mission
At Lawson Products, we have a mission to be our customers’ most valued supplier of Maintenance, Repair and Operating products. From innovative and cost-saving solutions to reliable, long-lasting products, we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations.
Vision
Our customers' success begins and ends with the services and products we provide them. Our vision is to be the market leader and preferred source of MRO products and services through our unparalleled product offering, total customer satisfaction and unyielding commitment to innovation and process improvement.
Key Team

Mr. Hajime Kawamura (Sr. VP)

Mr. Yasushi Wakabayashi (Deputy Sr. VP)

Mr. Tatsushi Sato (Sr. Exec. Officer & GM of IT Solutions Division)

Mr. Satoru Ota (Deputy Sr. VP, CEO of BestPractice Inc and Pres of BestPractice Inc)

Mr. Yasuhiko Hirokane (Sr. VP)

Mr. Yuichi Wada (Managing Exec. Officer & Pres of Kinki Company)

Norio Sasaki (Deputy Sr. VP and Deputy Gen. Mang. of Merchandizing & Logistics Division)

Recognition and Awards
Lawson Products has won a number of awards, including being named to the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 list and the Inc. 500 list. In 2018, the company was recognised for its commitment to safety by the American Society of Safety Professionals.
References
Lawson
Leadership team

Mr. Sadanobu Takemasu (Chairman, Pres & CSO)

Tatsuya Murase (Sr. Exec. Officer & GM of Sales Headquarters)

Mr. Masakatsu Gonai (Sr. Managing Exec. Officer, CRO, GM of Bus. Support Division & Assistant CSO)

Products/ Services
Information Technology
Number of Employees
1,000 - 20,000
Headquarters
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Established
1975
Net Income
100M - 500M
Revenue
Above - 1B
Traded as
2651.T
Social Media