California Famima Stores Looking to Go Upscale

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Famima, a Japanese retail chain, is exporting a "classier" version of its stores to the United States, using Southern California as its launch site, reported the Associated Press. A Santa Monica branch was recently opened, joining stores that opened last year in Westwood, Calif. and last summer in West Hollywood, Calif.

Short for Family Mart, the chain has more than 6,000 outlets in Japan and 5,500 branches throughout Asia.

The company is reluctant to call its shops convenience stores because of what it calls "the low-rent, hot-dog-and-soda association," according to the report.

Famima is also wary of identifying its stores as Japanese imports because sushi and rice bowls only make up part of the menu. The company doesn't want to ward off customers looking to lunch on a sandwich or salad, Hidenari Sato, the Famima executive overseeing the U.S. expansion, told AP.

In a prospectus for potential franchise owners, Famima dubs itself a "sophisticated store concept ... enhanced with upscale delicatessen and premium foods tailored for the savvy American customer."

"We're trying to be somewhere in the middle of a premium grocer and a quick-service restaurant and a convenience store," Sato said in the report.

The firm eventually hopes to roll out stores in New York and other parts of the country, according to the report.

The company won't release sales figures for its U.S. stores but does say sales at its first branch in West Hollywood have increased by about 20 percent since it opened last summer, AP reported.