British retailer Tesco Lotus is launching a convenience chain – 365 – in Thailand.

The retailer plans to open 365 stores by the end of 2014, the first of which has been opened in Bangkok’s Pratunam.

“The 365 store in Pratunam is a pilot project to test the market for six months. We will adapt it to suit customer demand,” said Salinla Sihapan, Tesco Lotus’s corporate affairs director.

The new 365 convenience chain will compete with 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson 108, Mini Big C and others.

Thailand has around 12,000 existing convenience stores, a number expected to increase as more chains plan expansion. 7-Eleven plans to have 10,000 stores in Thailand by the year 2018, FamilyMart targets 3000 stores by 2017 and Mini Big C plans to have 850 branches by 2016.