Diversification of Retail Formats

During the 1970s, the spectrum of retail formats widened further. Several new retail formats were introduced, some gaining considerable prominence within a short period of time. Developments in this period were multifaceted and they will therefore be discussed separately by retail format. Overall, the period saw the continued development of the general superstore with an enlargement of sales floors and the addition of amenities and services. Eventually, these developments led to a situation where some operators denied the relationship of their new stores with the original format of the general superstore. The food supermarket as an already established but not very successful format — being caught in a squeeze between general superstores and the local neighbourhood retailers — underwent a process of refinement that consisted of a strengthening of its operational fundamentals as well as a thorough adjustment to Japanese market conditions. At the same time, new concepts like home centres, discount stores and convenience stores were introduced. While the development of the first two concepts involved only the partial and very pragmatic adoption of concepts from overseas, the introduction of convenience stores can be seen as a systematic attempt to introduce a complex store format with only minor alterations (see Table 4.1).