Lawson (store)

History

Origins in Ohio

In 1939, dairy owner James "J.J." Lawson started a store at his Broad Boulevard dairy plant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to sell his milk. The Lawson's Milk Company grew into a chain of stores, primarily in Ohio. Lawson was bought out by Consolidated Foods in 1959.

Lawson's neighborhood convenience stores were common in Ohio from the 1960s through the mid-1980s, selling milk, bread, eggs, orange juice, and specialty items such as deli counter "chipped" style ham and sour cream potato chip dips. Locations also extended into neighboring states such as Pennsylvania, where Lawson's had a presence in the western portion of the state, including Pittsburgh.

Consolidated Foods was renamed Sara Lee in 1985. At about the same time, Lawson's stores in the United States were sold to Dairy Mart, a smaller chain of convenience stores located in Enfield, Connecticut. Dairy Mart moved its headquarters to Cuyahoga Falls, renamed the Lawson's stores, and operated the chain as Dairy Mart for the next 17 years. Dairy Mart was sued by the American Family Association, after a Dairy Mart manager in Ohio complained that the company's policy of selling pornography subjected her to sexual and religious harassment. The court case, Stanley v. Lawson Co., was seen as a test of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court ultimately ruled in favor of Lawson. In 2001, Dairy Mart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to seek a new management team and regain financial stability.

In 2002, Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canada-based convenience store conglomerate, bought the assets and name of Dairy Mart. Most of the former Dairy Mart stores, which were either originally Lawson's stores, or were located in communities in which Lawson's once had a presence, were converted to the Circle K brand. Some independently owned Dairy Mart stores in Ohio survived independent of Circle K and continued to use the Dairy Mart name and final logo under license from Alimentation Couche-Tard. Nine stores still licensed the Dairy Mart brand as of 2022.

Circle K retains a large presence in Ohio to this day due to the enduring legacy of Lawson's, especially in Northeast Ohio and Columbus, primarily competing with Speedway. However, many of the former Lawson's stores under Dairy Mart in Pennsylvania closed during the late 1990s, and only a few survived by the time Circle K took over the locations. Much of this can be attributed to stronger competition in Pennsylvania from 7-Eleven and Altoona-based Sheetz, as well as UniMart and United Refining Company. Additionally, unlike in Ohio, Dairy Mart failed to invest in fuel sales at its Pennsylvania stores. Circle K retains a small presence in Western Pennsylvania today, but unlike Ohio is a non-factor in the area going up against Sheetz, 7-Eleven/Speedway, GetGo, and locally owned Coen Markets, though Couche-Tard would acquire GetGo in 2025 with initial plans to run it separate from Circle K.

One enduring legacy that continues to the present day of Lawson's former American presence has been its chip dip. After initially continuing under the Lawson's name in the 17 years after the stores themselves rebranded to Dairy Mart, due to demand from consumers, Couche-Tard announced that Lawson's branded chip dip would continue to be sold no matter what the name of the store. Lawson's chip dip eventually expanded to include its availability at all Circle K locations in its Great Lakes division, including at stores that were never affiliated with Lawson's/Dairy Mart, and are still sold in Lawson's-era packaging except with the Circle K logo affixed near the nutrition label for copyright purposes. Following Couche-Tard finalizing its deal to buy GetGo, GetGo also started carrying Lawson's chip dip; however, locations that had to be divested to MAPCO by order of the Federal Trade Commission stopped carrying the chip dip since its a private label product of Circle K.

Presence in Japan

In 1974, Consolidated signed a formal agreement with The Daiei, Inc., a retail company which also ran a supermarket chain, to open the first Lawson stores in Japan. On April 15, 1975, Daiei Lawson Co., Ltd. was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Daiei. The first store opened in Sakurazuka, Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, in June 1975. In September 1979 the official name was changed to Lawson Japan, Inc. The Mitsubishi Corporation became the main shareholder in 2001.

Lawson is one of the biggest convenience store chains in Japan, following 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. All of the usual Japanese convenience store goods, such as magazines, video games, manga, soft drinks, onigiri, pastry roulette and bento are available. Lawson has occasionally collaborated on tie-ins with various companies, including Koei's PlayStation 3 game Dynasty Warriors 7. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a Lawson store in author Hirohiko Araki's native Sendai was remodeled to look like the "Owson" store that appears in part 4 of the series. In late 2013, a crossover with All Japan Pro Wrestling saw Triple Crown heavyweight wrestling champion Kohei Suwama appear in ads and even work the till for a photo-op in a Tokyo location. In early 2016, a Lawson-sponsored Power Cube was introduced into the online game Ingress. DDM and Kadokawa's Kantai Collection also tapped Lawson in limited promotional materials, featuring character representations of shipgirls such as Kashima in Lawson crew outfits, whose popularity persisted long after the promo.

To date, Lawson operates over 11,384 stores. They are found in all 47 prefectures of Japan, as well as China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and United States (see below). In 2014, the company announced plans to open stores specifically designed for elderly consumers.

In September 2014, Lawson announced that it would acquire Japanese chain Seijo Ishii Co. for around $503 million from Marunouchi Capital.

In October 2016, Lawson announced it was partnering with The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. After receiving the appropriate license from the Japanese Financial Services Agency, the move would allow Lawson stores to offer cash withdrawal, deposit and transfer services, over and above the ATM services that are already provided.

In February 2017, Lawson became a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp.

In 2005, Lawson opened its first "Lawson 100" store, where items are plus tax for a total of .

In July 2024, Lawson delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange following its takeover by KDDI.

Environmental commitment

As of May 2012, Lawson had solar equipment at 20 of its stores, but the company announced in June 2012 that it would install solar panels at 2,000 of its 10,000 Japanese stores. It was estimated that each store would generate about 11,000 kWh per year. Just under 2,000 kWh of this would go toward climate control and other in-house uses, which would account for about 1% of each store's power consumption. The rest of the electricity would be sold under Japan's feed-in tariff system that came into operation on July 1, 2012. It was estimated that the company's income from the power generated by the 2,000 stores would come to more than a year.

Lawson planned to install solar panels at 1,000 stores in the 2012–2013 financial year, and 1,000 more in the 2013–2014 financial year. It chose solar panels from Solar Frontier, along with the same company's online monitoring system, for the first 1,000 stores.

In other countries

China

Lawson has more than 5,200 stores in China, which are found in and around six major cities: Chongqing, Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan. The Shanghai region is the largest, with more than 2,000 locations.

Indonesia

In August 2011, Lawson opened its first Indonesian store in Jakarta. In Indonesia, Lawson (operated by PT Lancar Wiguna Sejahtera) was a subsidiary of (PT Midi Utama Indonesia Tbk), a subsidiary of Alfamart.

On 15 May 2025, Alfamidi sold Lawson's operating company to Alfamart, which acquired it worth of Rp.200 billion, making Lawson a subsidiary of Alfamart.

United States

Further expansion in both Hawaii and the mainland U.S. is planned.

Thailand

In 2013, Lawson began opening stores in Thailand under the name Lawson 108. The stores are run as a joint venture between Lawson Japan and the Thai consumer goods giant Saha Group.

The Philippines

Lawson Asia Pacific and Puregold Price Club formed a joint venture under the name PG Lawson Company Inc. They opened their first branch in Manila, on March 30, 2015. Under the partnership, Lawson will provide its expertise in convenience store's know-how and product development while Puregold will provide its expertise in product procurement and localized knowledge of retail consumers. They plan to open 500 stores by 2020. However, in 2018, Puregold sold its 70 percent stake to Lawson after the said company exited the convenience store business. Despite the Puregold exit, the Philippine branches of Lawson continued to operate until they found a new partnership.

In 2019, Lawson has partnered with Ayala Corporation and struck a deal of partnership, continuing to expand its footprint in the country to 500 stores by 2024. The store chain is also considering a collaboration with Ayala's online retail business, such as contributing convenience stores to be used as product pickup depots as well as the operational tie-up with a logistics group company.

References

References

1. "Lawson - ABOUT US: Our Business".
2. [http://lawson.jp/en/about/hrs/diversity/ Lawson. ABOUT US. Employees] Personnel Data
3. (16 April 2002). "Dairy Mart Uncovers Piece of History".
4. [http://www.saralee.com/AboutSaraLee/TheSaraLeeHeritage.aspx The Sara Lee Heritage] {{webarchive. link. (2008-01-18 . [[Sara Lee (corporation)). Sara Lee]] website, accessed 19 January 2008.
5. "Sara Lee - About Us". Hillshire Brands.
6. Olson, Walter. [http://reason.com/news/show/30460.html For Heaven's Sake] Religious accommodation and other openings for big-government conservatism. ''Reason'' magazine, December 1997. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
7. Chmara, Theresa and Mach, Daniel. [http://www.ftrf.org/ala/ourassociation/othergroups/ftrf/ftrfinaction/jennerblockmemo/workenvironment.htm Civil Liability for an Alleged Hostile Work Environment Related to Patron or Employee Internet Use]. Memorandum Jenner & Block, 2 February 2004. Published on the website of the [[Freedom to Read Foundation]]. Retrieved 19 December 2007. See also 993 F. Supp. 1084 in the [[Federal Supplement]].
8. "Stanley v. Lawson Co., 993 F. Supp. 1084 (N.D. Ohio 1997)".
9. (September 25, 2001). "Dairy Mart Seeks Bankruptcy".
10. https://www.cspdailynews.com/mergers-acquisitions/alimentation-couche-tard-closes-its-157-billion-acquisition-getgo-cafe
11. [http://www.cspnet.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=60CCC21CAABB4C7DA03B606E5774C9F7&AudID=8A21B37C3A8F4D31BD4DFF616F7C7585 Dairy Marts Renamed]. ''CSP Daily News'', July 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
12. Abraham, Lisa. (January 13, 2009). "Lisa Abraham: Lawson's stores prosper in Japan". Akron Beacon Journal.
13. https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/2025/07/16/lawsons-chip-dip-what-we-know-will-mapco-stores-carry-it/85195293007/
14. Anoop Gantayat. (2011-01-21). "Dynasty Warriors 7 Gets Extremely Inappropriate Collaboration Content". Andriasang.
15. "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's Owson Store Recreated in Real Life". [[Anime News Network]].
16. Kameda, Masaaki. (8 October 2013). "Japanese convenience store chain going healthy". [[The Japan Times]].
17. "Lawson: Japanische Kette plant eigene Supermärkte für Senioren". Faz.net.
18. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-seijoishii-m-a-lawson-announcement-idUSKCN0HP04Y20140930 Lawson to buy supermarket chain Seijo Ishii for $500 million]. [[Reuters]], 30 September 2014
19. (6 October 2016). "Lawson to enter banking business in 2018". GPlusMedia Co., Ltd..
20. (22 March 2018). "Lawson chief bets on health, tech as future of convenience". Japantimes.
21. (10 February 2017). "Announcement of Results of Tender Offer for Shares in Lawson, Inc. and Acquisition of Lawson, Inc. as a Subsidiary". Mitsubishicorp PR.
22. "Our History | ABOUT US | Lawson".
23. NEWS, KYODO. "Convenience store chain Lawson delisted after 24 yrs on Tokyo bourse".
24. Tokyo Weekender [http://www.tokyoweekender.com/2012/05/solar-convenience-stores/ Solar Convenience Stores May 9, 2012] Retrieved on September 26, 2012
25. [[Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Nikkei]] [http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120629D2906N03.htm Lawson To Generate Solar Power At 2,000 Stores June 29, 2012] Retrieved on September 26, 2012
26. [[Solar Frontier]] [http://www.solar-frontier.com/eng/news/2012/C007360.html Japanese Convenience Store Chain Lawson Chooses Solar Frontier Panels July 9, 2012] Retrieved on September 26, 2012
27. "Oversea Stores | Store | Lawson".
28. http://www.halojepang.com/ekonomi-bisnis/2759-kerjasama-dengan-midi-utama-indonesia-lawson-buka-gerai-pertama-di-kemang-jakarta{{dead link. (June 2017)
29. "LAWSON Indonesia".
30. (15 May 2025). "Alfamart Resmi Beli Lawson dari Alfamidi Rp200 M".
31. (23 May 2025). "Alasan MIDI Jual Lawson ke Alfamart: Kontribusi Pendapatan Tidak Signifikan". [[Tempo (Indonesian magazine).
32. [http://www.lawson.co.jp/company/news/054271/] Lawson Opening in Hawaii
33. [http://www.lawson.co.jp/company/news/063004/] Two Lawsons Opened in Honolulu
34. Abraham, Lisa. (July 8, 2012). "Lawson's returns to the U.S.". Akron Beacon Journal.
35. [http://www.kitv.com/news/money/Lawson-Station-prepares-for-grand-opening/-/8905154/15430560/-/eo6oye/-/index.html Lawson Station prepares for grand opening] {{webarchive. link. (2013-06-21)
36. "News | LAWSON108".
37. "News Release | LAWSON".
38. (April 27, 2018). "Puregold exits Lawson convenience store business". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
39. (October 11, 2019). "Lawson plans tenfold jump in Philippine convenience stores".