No. of Seven-Eleven stores in Japan falls for 1st time in 5 yrs english.kyodonews.net

KYODO NEWS - Oct 11, 2019 - 15:34 | All, JapanThe number of domestic convenience stores operated by Seven-Eleven Japan Inc. dropped by 24 in September from the previous month to 20,993, marking the first fall in five years, company officials said Friday.
The fall in the number of stores apparently reflects slowing growth in the industry as the domestic convenience store market has become saturated.
On Thursday, Seven & i Holdings said it will shut down five department stores and downsize two others operated by Sogo & Seibu Co. by February 2021.
The restructuring at Sogo & Seibu and Ito-Yokado would result in a cut of some 3,000 in total, 1,300 and 1,700 respectively.
For Seven-Eleven convenience stores, Seven & i Holdings said it will reduce the amount of royalties paid by franchisees in consideration of rising labor costs, and start reviews for closures or relocations of 1,000 unprofitable stores later this year, 300 more than last year.