7-Eleven

7-Eleven is a convenience store chain that originated in the United States and was introduced to Japan in the early 1970s, where it became a defining retail format of the country's consumption upgrade era. Per a 峰瑞资本 analysis, the first 7-Eleven in Tokyo opened in 1974, two years after Japan's first FamilyMart; by 1987, when Japanese per-capita GDP reached roughly $20,000, the chain had expanded past 3,000 stores, and by 1995 it exceeded 6,000 . The model thrived on "personalized" consumption—small, frequent purchases by individuals rather than families—and in Japan it grew to capture about 10% of total retail sales . 峰瑞资本's Li Feng has noted that 7-Eleven's rise was aided by its birth as a subsidiary of Ito-Yokado, giving it built-in supply-chain advantages including dedicated ready-meal factories . In China, the chain is often cited alongside Apple, Muji, and Uniqlo as a benchmark for retail and brand-building that local consumer companies study .