TOKYO, Feb 21 (Kyodo/APP): Convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. plans to expand the number of stores with claw machines and other prize-winning games in Japan by threefold to about 5,000 outlets in the near future, with the aim of attracting more customers.
The company also plans to collaborate with popular anime to bring their worlds to life through store design, under the concept of “playable” convenience stores.
In the saturated domestic market, “It is necessary to hammer out a strategy to add value such as entertainment,” said FamilyMart President Kensuke Hosomi at a New Year event hosted by a Japanese business lobby on Jan. 6.
According to the Japan Amusement Industry Association, the crane game market doubled to 364.3 billion yen ($2.3 billion) in fiscal 2023, while the number of amusement arcades halved to 8,548 over the same period.
“There has been a business opportunity in convenience stores” since many small amusement arcades near train stations were closed, an association official said.
Lawson Inc., another convenience store operator, has also installed crane game machines at around 1,300 stores, introducing machines based on ideas from franchise owners.
FamilyMart outlets offer crane games priced at 100 yen per play, with prizes such as goods featuring the characters from the popular manga series “Chiikawa.” The machines are located in areas where magazine racks have been removed or near eat-in counters.
Claw machines have also become popular among foreign tourists because past anime works have become easily accessible through streaming services.
The company plans to increase the number of outlets decorated inside and out in areas related to popular anime works to make them tourist destinations for dedicated fans.