Developing convenience stores highlighted in all distributors’ business plans More modern and better served than traditional markets, more convenient than supermarkets as located in residential quarters, convenience stories are believed to be the places housewives go to most usually.    The appearance of new B’s marts has heated up the convenience store market. They were Family Marts 3 years ago, but have been bearing the new name for one month after the Family Mart changed hands. Phu Thai Group, after buying the capital contribution of the Japanese partner in the Vietnam Family Mart joint venture, has launched a new brand. Even after quitting the joint venture, the Japanese partner still maintains some Family Mart convenience stores in Vietnam. Meanwhile, B’s mart plans to open 20 more stores, according to its General Director Phidsanu Pongwatana. The representatives of Family Mart and Ministop said on Jakarta Post that Vietnam, with the young population gives ideal conditions to develop mini supermarket chains. Both the retailers prioritize to set up stores in the places near schools, because their main clients are students. Circle K, a retailer with 50-year experiences, which set up its first store in Vietnam in December 2008, now has got 40 retail points already in HCM City which open 24/24 h a day and 7 days a week, targeting the youth. Bangkok Post has quoted its source as saying that a Thai retailer plans to pour 1-3 billion baht to develop a convenience store chain in Vietnam in 2013. The retailer hopes to obtain the turnover of baht5 billion in 2017. Selling essential goods, providing high quality products, displaying goods items in a reasonable way and the 24/24 opening are the biggest advantages of convenience stores. Especially, the stores, located in residential quarters, would be the choice of the housewives, who don’t want to go to traditional markets, but don’t have enough time to go to supermarkets. Domestic investors have also jumped into the market segment. Saigon Co-op, which has been running Co-op mart supermarket chain over the last many years, in 2008, launched Co-op Food convenience store chain with 61 retail points located in districts, industrial zones, and export processing zones in HCM City. In 2011, many other names joined the convenience store market segment, or called “mini supermarkets,” such as G7 Mart Ministop, New Cho, Satrafoods. The first G7 Mart Ministop store was opened in HCM City in May 2011 as a cooperation between Vietnamese Trung Nguyen Group and Ministop, a subsidiary of Japanese Aeon Group. Ministop holds 25 percent of stakes, while G7 Mart holds the other 75 percent of the total investment capital of $10 million. The joint venture announced it would open at least 100 stores by 2013 and 500 stores in the next five years. However, to date, only 17 shops have been set up. New Cho began its operation in February 2011. It is believed to be the “arm” of Big C supermarket chain. However, the information has not been confirmed. Nguyen Xuan Nhat Huy, Managing Director of Hit Advertising, believes that convenience stores would develop strongly, which could be a threat to traditional markets and groceries. People would go to convenience stores when they need only some essential goods and no need to go far to supermarkets. Huy has noted that many convenience stores have been located on small alleys, not on big streets near commercial hubs. This has been explained by the fact that the retailers target low income earners - a market segment with great unexploited potentials. VNE