7-Eleven” is No. 1 in Japan in terms of the number of convenience stores… Surprising secret revealed by analyzing each company’s “obento strategy

Competition among convenience stores is intensifying. In the previous article, I explained that Lawson is competing with its deep-fried bento and rice bowls, which are freshly prepared in the store, and FamilyMart is competing with its “unique bento,” which are different from its standard products. How will 7-Eleven meet the challenge of the other two companies?

7-Eleven, the Champion, is Unleashing a Yokozuna Sumo

7-Eleven, Japan’s reigning champion in terms of the number of its stores, limits in-store cooking to some of its stores, and does not compete with FamilyMart with its unusual products. Even so, 7-Eleven continues to be a leader with its broad lineup of “chilled bento,” which the company introduced ahead of its rivals.

Chilled bento” refers to boxed meals that are kept in a refrigerated environment (chilled zone) of 0 to 10 degrees Celsius from production to delivery and sales, and are supposed to be heated in a microwave oven. This has dramatically improved the shelf life of convenience store boxed lunches. Chilled bento, which Seven began selling in 2009, has now become a mainstream product in the entire industry. The representative example is noriben,” says a reporter from a business newspaper.

Noriben are simple and inexpensive, but the Noriben currently sold by the three companies are loaded with a variety of fried foods. It would not be surprising if the three companies would focus on makunouchi bento, a boxed lunch box with a wide variety of side dishes, if they were going to go to the trouble of selling it for more than 500 yen. Why is this?

The mainstay of makunouchi bento is a variety of dishes, such as grilled fish, pickles, simmered dishes, and deep-fried dishes, all of which can be heated at different temperatures. If all of these items are heated uniformly in the microwave, there will be side dishes that are too hot and others that are not warm enough. This is not suited to the current trend of microwaving to complete the dish. On the other hand, Noriben’s side dishes, such as deep-fried foods and meat-based dishes, are gathered together in items that are close to the appropriate temperature range, making it highly suitable as a chilled bento.

Other than Seven’s “4 Kinds of Side Dishes Nori Bento” (645 yen), my recommendation is the “Beef Kalbi Bento with Aged Sauce” (645 yen). Seven’s bento has the advantage of its delicious rice, which is cooked by professionals with different brands of rice balls and cooking methods. The high quality beef and sauce intertwine with that rice. It is the best quality among yakiniku bento boxes,” says Taya.

Seven-Eleven has created an industry-wide trend toward the use of chilled bento boxes, which are easier to manage inventory. Seven-Eleven is expected to eventually start developing frozen bento, but surprisingly, the company also offers a wide selection of room-temperature bento.

It is said that many of the heavy users who support sales of convenience store box lunches are elderly people. They often eat their bento right away without the hassle of heating it up at home. If we give up room-temperature bento under such circumstances, sales will suffer. The policy will be to mix chilled and room temperature for a while and gradually shift to chilled.

Incidentally, if you buy a boxed lunch at a convenience store near your office or home, it tastes better if you have it heated at the store. This is because commercial-use microwave ovens have high output and high performance.

The competition among the three companies to develop microwavable boxed lunches is heating up, whether it is the high road, a novelty, or in-store cooking.