Intensifying Competition with Convenience Stores, Supermarkets, Food-Service Businesses and Others
First written in FY2017. 12 of 16 entries say "Worsened", first in FY2019-Q1. Latest entry: 2026-07-10.
Poplar moved to the "Worse" side of this theme in 2019, the same year as the typical company in this theme.
The whole theme swung hardest in 2018: 16 of 40 companies on the "Worse" side.
13 other companies' latest entry also says "Worsened".
- FY2025WorsenedAnnual report
「In recent years, even leading chains have targeted small properties within facilities, intensifying competition. We will expand the business by leveraging our accumulated expertise in opening stores and our development and sales structure tailored to individual facilities.」
In addition to conventional competition among companies in the same industry and across different industries, leading chains are also targeting small properties within facilities, explicitly intensifying competition in facility-based stores, our area of strength. - FY2024WorsenedAnnual report
「The convenience store sector is reaching saturation in terms of domestic store numbers, and competition for locations for new store openings is increasing.」
In addition to the saturation of domestic store numbers, increasing competition for locations for new stores is identified as a competition risk. - FY2023-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「In the convenience store industry, market concentration among major operators is advancing and customer numbers per store are declining, while competition in developing new products and services to restore customer numbers, which fell further during the COVID-19 pandemic, is intensifying. The operating environment also remains difficult due to worsening conditions for operating individual stores, including labor shortages and rising labor costs.」
The competition risk is described more specifically, including increasing concentration among major operators, declining customer numbers per store and intensifying competition to develop products and services aimed at restoring customer numbers. Worsening conditions for operating individual stores are also noted. - FY2022WorsenedAnnual report
「The convenience store sector is reaching saturation, with the number of domestic stores exceeding 58 thousand, while customer numbers have declined year on year for 5 consecutive years. The operating environment has also changed significantly due to labor shortages, the shift toward the SDGs and the increasing social scrutiny of franchise agreements. Among major convenience store chains, a cautious management stance is also evident, including withdrawing from low-sales stores, refraining from new openings and prioritizing investment in existing stores.」
The saturation of domestic store numbers and the year-on-year decline in customer numbers for 5 consecutive years are shown numerically, making the difficult competitive and operating environment more concrete, including labor shortages, the SDGs and the increasing social scrutiny of franchise agreements. - FY2022-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「However, in recent years, the number of our stores has continued to decline due to intense competition from major chains and other business formats. In addition, as we focused on opening stores within facilities as a countermeasure, the proportion of stores that do not handle specialty delicacies, such as those in hospitals, universities and offices, increased. As a result, transaction volumes between us and Daikokuya Foods have declined year after year,」
It is stated that intense competition from major chains and other business formats has led to a decline in the number of stores and in transaction volumes with an affiliated company, making the impact of competition more concrete. - FY2021RestatedAnnual report
「Our Group operates a convenience store business, and in recent years has faced competition not only within the convenience store industry but also from other industries, including food supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, family restaurants and drugstores.」
Competition with food supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, family restaurants, drugstores and others, in addition to convenience stores, continues to be identified as a risk. - FY2020WorsenedAnnual report
「Our Group operates a convenience store business, and in recent years has faced competition not only within the convenience store industry but also from other industries, including food supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, family restaurants and drugstores.」
Drugstores were explicitly identified as competitors in addition to the previously cited food supermarkets, fast-food restaurants and family restaurants, broadening the scope of competition. - FY2019WorsenedAnnual report
「The retail industry remained in a difficult operating environment as competition across business formats intensified further, alongside rising logistics costs and the increasingly serious labor shortage.」
The description of competition across business formats has been strengthened from competition continuing to “intensifying further,” and it was identified as a factor behind the difficult operating environment. - FY2019-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「The retail industry remained in a difficult operating environment, including intensifying competition among companies in the same industry and across different industries, as well as the increasingly serious labor shortage.」
The description of competition among companies in the same industry and across different industries has been strengthened from competition continuing to competition intensifying, and is cited as a factor behind the difficult operating environment. - FY2019-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「Store sales for the cumulative second quarter ended 31 December were broadly in line with the previous year, excluding stores where the operating environment had changed significantly and certain stores heavily affected by competitors, but」
It is stated that some stores were heavily affected by competitors, reaffirming that the impact of competition is continuing. - FY2019-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「The retail industry remained in a difficult environment, with stagnant personal consumption due to persistently strong consumer cost-consciousness, declining customer numbers as competition intensified across business categories and formats, and a continuing serious labor shortage.」
Intensifying competition across business categories and formats, including those outside the convenience store sector, is identified as a factor behind the difficult environment, accompanied by declining customer numbers. - FY2018RestatedAnnual report
「Our Group operates a convenience store business, and in recent years has faced competition not only within the convenience store industry but also from other industries, including food supermarkets with long operating hours, fast-food restaurants and family restaurants.」
Competition with food supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, family restaurants and others, in addition to convenience stores, continues to be identified as a risk. - FY2017First statedAnnual report
「In recent years, competition has arisen not only within the convenience store industry but also with other industries, including food supermarkets with long operating hours, fast-food restaurants and family restaurants. If competitors emerge that exceed the quality, pricing or service levels of the products offered by our Group, or if costs increase as competition intensifies further, our Group's operating results and financial position may deteriorate.」
Competition with food supermarkets, fast-food restaurants and family restaurants, in addition to other convenience store operators, is identified separately for the first time as a risk to operating results and financial position.