Japanese convenience store chain Ministop is set to enter Kazakhstan.
Ministop, which has 2105 outlets in Japan and 2071 overseas including in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, will run convenience stores in Kazakhstan with a local partner, transport and logistics company Senko.
Ministop will develop a joint venture with a local partner in Kazakhstan, RTS, launching in May. About 10 outlets are planned for Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, by the end of this year.
Ministop is optimistic that it will gain a strong customer base in Kazakhstan as high number of young people make up the country’s population.
Meanwhile, Ministop’s rival Lawson is also poised for overseas expansion as it currently in talks with local partners in India where it targets to open 20 to 30 outlets starting this year.
Lawson is also present in China where it has 355 outlets and in Indonesia where it has 15 stores. Apart from India, it also sees potential market in Vietnam and Myanmar.
GB
