A Huge Announcement and Subsequent Walk Back from the Seven & I Holdings Co.
Japanese convenience stores are recognized worldwide for having refined the system down to a science. With everything from sandwiches and clothing to services such as dry-cleaning and bill payment you may wonder what else could they possibly think of to offer the millions of loyal customers that shop daily at over 50,000 locations across Japan. That’s where the people at Seven & I Holdings Co. decided to take their 7-11 stores into a completely new frontier.
Starting with a limited number of stores the company was poised to launch their draft beer self service machine pilot project. This system was designed to be similar to their self-service coffee lineup with customers purchasing an empty cup, placing it onto their draft beer machine, and hitting the pour button to get a perfectly poured draft beer. This system they dubbed, “Choi Nama” (quick draft beer) was announced to begin selling Ichiban Shibori, Kirin Beer’s flagship brew, starting July 17th of this year.
At the low price of just 100 yen after tax for a small, and 190 yen for a large, there was an explosion of buzz in the online community within Japan. In the face of such demand for this cheap yet high quality draft beer service, to the disappointment of customers across the country, Seven & I Holdings decided to put an indefinite hold on their plans.
But why would a profit driven beer company abandon plans due to high demand?
Spokesperson for Seven & I Holdings Co., Katsuhiko Shimizu issued the following statement; “due to projected demand exceeding prior expectation for the product,” He also stated that as a result of this demand the shops that were set to launch the pilot project would likely be overwhelemed. This generally vague statement left the online community debating over the pros and cons of the prospect of self service draft beer machines as well as the possible underlying reason for 7-11 not moving forward with the project.
“Dubbed by twitter users as “izakaya-killing ¥100 beers” owners of these traditional Japanese pubs have breathed a sigh of relief at this project not going forward.”
Among some of the reasons discussed across Twitter for ditching the project was that selling draft beer could disturb the neighborhoods hosting the stores, further burden convenient store staff making them respond to intoxicated customers and encourage drunken driving. Another widely voiced concern was centered around the industry disrupting power this cheap draft beer could have. Dubbed by twitter users as “izakaya-killing ¥100 beers” owners of these traditional Japanese pubs have breathed a sigh of relief at this project not going forward. Whether you are a fan of draft beer at convenience stores or think it is a step too far, convenience stores within Japan will continue to think up and make new services into a reality disrupting various industries as they evolve within Japan.
