FamilyMart Group, which operates more than 15,000 c-stores in Japan and the Far East, is looking for partners to bring the fascia to Britain.

The company's Hidenori Tsunematsu told retailers at the recent ACS Summit that the experience of operating in the saturated Japanese convenience market would be beneficial as the British market was heading in the same direction.

With Japan's population ageing, FamilyMart is catering for people who wish to shop closer to home with generational marketing of age-specific product ranges and displays.

Tsunematsu said that the number of retired people in Britain, currently 16.5%, was expected to reach 24.2% by 2050, while an increase in single-person households would also benefit c-stores.

FamilyMart builds its offer around daily food purchases and an in-store kitchen, he revealed, and was increasingly taking on a community role with seated areas including PC terminals and services such as laundry and storage. It has also adopted a policy of employing older staff.

FamilyMart, which also operates stores under the Famima! brand,  is Japan's third largest convenience store chain and the largest in South Korea.