Lawson Japan plans to withdraw from the stock market, announcing it will officially delist from the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Stock Exchange on July 24. This decision follows the tender offer launched by Japanese telecommunications giant KDDI Corporation on February 6. In March of this year, the acquisition was publicly announced by the National Market Regulatory Authority.

Prior to the completion of the transaction, Lawson was independently controlled by Mitsubishi Corporation. After the deal, Mitsubishi Corporation and KDDI will jointly own 50% of Lawson, achieving joint control of the company, and Lawson will become an equity-method affiliate of both companies, with its shares no longer being publicly traded.

The primary aim of KDDI's cross-industry acquisition of Lawson is to expand its business beyond telecommunications. KDDI hopes to utilize Lawson's extensive network of physical stores to enhance its financial and insurance services and attract more customers. Meanwhile, facing market saturation and labor shortages, the Japanese convenience store industry is also seeking change. Lawson plans to apply KDDI's advanced digital technology to improve store operational efficiency and to launch new businesses such as online sales.

Lawson's history dates back to its establishment in the United States in 1939. It entered the Japanese market in 1975 and has been listed on the Tokyo and Osaka exchanges since 2000, for a span of 24 years. According to data from Lawson's official website, as of April 2024, there are approximately 21,000 Lawson convenience stores worldwide, located in Japan, Indonesia, the United States, Thailand, the Philippines, and China.

Furthermore, Lawson's growth momentum in China should not be underestimated. Since entering the Chinese market as a foreign-invested chain of convenience stores in 1996 and opening its first store in Shanghai, it has now opened over 6,000 stores in locations including Shanghai, Chongqing, Liaoning, Beijing, Hubei, and Guangdong. According to the latest industry rankings, Lawson ranks fifth among convenience store brands in China, becoming the only foreign-invested brand in the top five, reflecting its strong competitive presence in the Chinese market.

In response to the news of Lawson's delisting, some netizens have expressed concern and confusion, unsure whether delisting means that Lawson will close its stores and exit the market. However, according to Lawson's franchise hotline and store staff in Beijing, there has been no notification of suspension or closure, and it seems that the operations of the physical convenience stores will not be affected by this.