Life Corporation will acquire Hokuriku supermarket Albis, its first M&A involving a food supermarket. It will shift from its single-brand store-opening strategy and seek to expand into the Chukyo region.
Life Corporation will acquire Hokuriku supermarket Albis. This will be Life's first M&A involving a food supermarket, and the company will shift from its single-brand store-opening strategy. The move indicates an intention to expand into the Chukyo region through the acquisition.
The background includes rising store-opening costs and increasing difficulty in achieving growth, as major regional supermarket chains expand their presence in the Tokyo metropolitan and Kinki regions. A Life executive has discussed revising the company's store-opening strategy in response to these changes in the operating environment.
Through the acquisition of Albis, Life aims to expand its store network in Hokuriku, and appears to be planning a shift in its future store-opening structure away from its traditional single-banner strategy. People familiar with the matter indicate that changes in the competitive environment are behind the acquisition.