TOKYO -- Lawson's group operating profit likely shrank 6% on the year to around 54 billion yen ($476 million) for the nine months ended in November, as the convenience store operator increased spending to cope with labor shortages in Japan.
Gross operating revenue, the equivalent of sales, apparently grew 7% to a little over 490 billion yen. As more women and retirees re-enter the work force, Japan's convenience stores are competing to capture demand for ready-to-eat meals. Lawson revamped its prepared food offerings, a move that appears to have helped lift same-store sales in the March-November period.
