Earned 90 Billion Won Annually... Japanese Convenience Store Hits Jackpot with Socks as a Rising Star

30% Surge in Clothing Sales at Japan FamilyMart
20 Million Pairs of Socks Sold Cumulatively, 16,000 Pairs Daily
Convenience Stores Rising from Supporting Role to Leading Role... Lawson Also Expands Product Range

Promotional image of convenience wear from Japan's FamilyMart

Clothing, once considered mere filler items in Japanese convenience stores, is emerging as a sales driver.

On the 29th, the online edition of Toyo (Oriental) Diamond reported, "FamilyMart's colorful socks have surpassed 20 million pairs in cumulative sales, transforming the convenience store clothing section into a leading player." FamilyMart's private brand ‘Convenience Wear’ recorded sales of 10 billion yen (approximately 9 billion KRW) in 2023, a 30% increase compared to the previous year, and is maintaining this growth trend this year as well. In particular, the variety of colorful socks is gaining popularity on social networking services (SNS). As of May this year, cumulative sock sales have exceeded 20 million pairs. Since the first sale in March 2021, about 16,000 pairs have been sold daily.

Products Collaborated Between FamilyMart and Yomiuri Giants Professional Baseball Team

FamilyMart started selling clothing with the aim of creating a culture of buying clothes even at convenience stores. Especially for underwear and socks, they broke away from the usual white and black colors to offer products in various colors. New products are released every two weeks to once a month, departing from the traditional seasonal system of spring, summer, fall, and winter. They also gained word-of-mouth popularity by launching collaboration products with the baseball team Yomiuri Giants, Netflix’s Stranger Things, and the Fuji Rock Festival.

Following FamilyMart’s success, competitor convenience store Lawson is increasing the number of stores carrying clothing and miscellaneous goods from Muji (Mujirushi Ryohin). Since April, Lawson has also started selling Lawson-exclusive products such as socks and handkerchiefs developed jointly. Toyo Diamond stated, "Convenience store clothing used to be stagnant due to few new products, but now it is becoming the most dynamic section. If they can continue to attract new customer segments, the day when convenience stores grow from supporting roles to leading stores may be near."