The evidence lies in the numbers. Convenience stores can now be found at every corner in Bangkok and major provinces. Each store serves 3,000 households nearby today, compared to 10,000 in 1989, when the first convenience store was opened in the country.
The shift of dominance between mini-markets and rival supermarkets has been tremendous throughout the Indonesia market. The number of supermarkets has fallen 17% over the past 3 years, while mini-markets have risen by 63%.
This shift has been causing larger format retailers to rethink their strategies and eye global partnerships to attack the $42 billion dollar sector.
Convenience stores will see their Shanghai market share rise faster than big supermarkets, an industry research shows. FamilyMart, the Japanese retailer, will almost double its market share to 7.9 percent, while Hong Kong-based Watson may also expand 2.6 percent, according to a research report released by TNS Global. Bigger retailers like Carrefour and Tesco may find their profits eroded as shoppers develop brand loyalty to convenience stores, it says.