Latest news with #LawsonInc
Asahi Shimbun
03-06-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Lawson to sell lower-priced onigiri made of ‘vintage rice'
A sample of Lawson Inc.'s 'Vintage Rice Onigiri' is shown in Tokyo on June 3. (Sho Ito) Lawson Inc. will begin selling 'Vintage Rice Onigiri' made from rice harvested in 2023 at lower prices than its usual onigiri, the company announced on June 3. The convenience store chain has procured about two tons of the older crop from the market. The rice is not from the recently released government reserves, Lawson said. At a news conference, Lawson President Sadanobu Takemasu said the company wanted to more effectively utilize the older rice, since it has been preserved in good condition. Lawson plans to begin selling Vintage Rice Onigiri at outlets in parts of the Kanto region in early July, at the earliest. Takemasu said the company plans to offer a few basic varieties, such as those seasoned with salt or containing 'umeboshi' pickled plum, for around 120 yen ($0.84) each before taxes. Lawson was inspired by the wine industry to label the onigiri with the harvest year—'Vintage 2023'—like bottles of fine wine. The company also said it will begin selling small bags of older rice from government stockpiles at stores in the Kanto region within three days of its delivery and at outlets nationwide in about a week. A 1-kilogram package of government rice will be sold for 360 yen before taxes, and a 2-kilogram package for 700 yen.
10-05-2025
- Business
Lawson to Expand Frozen Onigiri Sales
News from Japan Economy May 10, 2025 18:06 (JST) Tokyo, May 10 (Jiji Press)--Lawson Inc. said Friday that it will expand sales of frozen "onigiri" rice balls. The Japanese convenience store chain, which currently sells frozen onigiris at about 400 stores in Tokyo, will sell them at about 1,700 stores in the capital and five nearby prefectures, starting on Tuesday. The frozen onigiris come with four popular fillings. Lawson will sell them at 10-20 pct cheaper than nonfrozen ones through mass production and rapid freezing at a time of high rice prices. Quick freezing keeps the products as fresh and tasty as unfrozen onigiris, according to the company. Frozen onigiris have a best-before period of about one year, a feature expected to help reduce food waste. Lawson plans to expand sales of frozen onigiris across the country in fiscal 2026. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Consumers Turn to Rice Alternatives Amid Price Surge; Glutinous Barley, Long-Grain Rice Becoming Popular
The Yomiuri Shimbun Onigiri rice balls containing glutinous barley are displayed at a Natural Lawson store in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, on April 22. Soaring rice prices and increased consumer frugality are driving changes in dining habits, including adding glutinous barley to rice and switching from rice to alternatives like bread and pasta. There have also been moves to introduce foreign-grown rice, though it was unpopular at the time of the 1993 rice shortage. Lawson Inc. introduced three new varieties onigiri rice balls using glutinous barley — okaka bonito flakes, salmon and tuna mayonnaise — at about 130 Natural Lawson stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area on April 23. They maintained the price of the new rice balls, ranging from ¥167 to ¥203, by using glutinous barley to replace some of the white rice. Glutinous barley is also used along with rice in their bento box. Glutinous barley takes up more space than rice. While two cups of rice are 300 grams, adding 100 grams of glutinous barley during cooking makes 3 cups. With its high dietary fiber content, glutinous barley had already seen an increase in consumers eating it since it is mixed with rice, but soaring rice prices have drawn even greater attention to it. Hakubaku Co., a manufacturer and seller of glutinous barley, reported their monthly year-on-year sales have increased for 11 consecutive months through March. They also increased production by beginning to operate their plant on Saturdays from April 12. Sales volume changing According to Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc.'s preliminary calculations, the price of a 150-gram serving of Koshihikari rice nearly doubled from ¥30 in April 2023 to ¥57 in February of this year. In contrast, a slice of bread from a 4-slice loaf rose by just ¥6 to ¥48. Faced with expensive rice, many people are switching to alternatives. 'I've switched to eating only bread for breakfast, and I have pasta for dinner once or twice a week,' said a 60-year-old taxi driver from Chiba Prefecture. Supermarkets are also showing a clear trend toward rice alternatives. According to a February survey by research company True Data Inc., annual sales volume in grocery supermarkets rose by 24% for frozen pizza and gratin and 20% for macaroni compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, rice sales declined by 10%. 'Staple food products that serve as alternatives to rice are seeing increased demand,' according to the company's analysis. People are also re-evaluating foreign-grown rice. In early March, major supermarket chain operator OK Corp. began selling five-kilogram bags of Calrose rice from California for ¥3,335 at its 10 outlets. Calrose rice less expensive than domestic varieties and has seen strong sales, leading the company to increase its availability to its 54 stores starting April 19.
