Circle K founded
In December, UNY Co., Ltd. and the Circle K Corporation of the U.S.A. entered into a business alliance, resulting in the launch of the Circle K Japan Business Division of UNY Co., Ltd.
In March 1980, the Circle K Japan Business Division opened its first Circle K store in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
Note:
In 1993, Circle K acquired, from the Circle K Corporation of the U.S.A, all rights in Japan stipulated in the licensing agreement.
Sunkus founded
Sunkus Co., Ltd. founded in July via investment by Nagasakiya Co., Ltd.
First store opened in November in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.
Both Circle K and Sunkus continued to open new stores and expand their respective store networks, with Circle K active in Japan's Chukyo region, centered on Aichi Prefecture, and Sunkus operating in the country's Kanto region (centered on Tokyo) and northern Japan.
The total number of Circle K stores exceeds 1,000.
The total number of Sunkus stores exceeds 1,000.
Nagasakiya Co., Ltd. sold its shares in SUNKUS & ASSOCIATES INC. to the Ono Group, which replaced Nagasakiya as the lead shareholder.
(Ono Group: Corporate group based primarily in Fukui Prefecture)
During this growth era for convenience stores, both
Circle K and Sunkus steadily expanded their respective operations. In 1995, Circle K listed on the Second Section of the Nagoya Stock Exchange. Sunkus registered its shares on the over-the-counter market in 1997.
Circle K listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1997, followed by Sunkus in 2000.
Click here to view stock prices for both listed companies prior to the merger.
The total number of stores exceeds 2,000 for both Circle K and Sunkus.
Circle K and Sunkus enter into an equity-based business alliance.
The UNY Group becomes the leading shareholder in Sunkus.
C&S Co., Ltd. established as a holding company.
C&S Co., Ltd. was simultaneously listed on the first sections of the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges.
Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd. formed through merger.
Three-way merger conducted between C&S Co., Ltd., CIRCLE K JAPAN Co., Ltd., and SUNKUS & ASSOCIATES INC.
May 2007 : Motohiko Nakamura appointed as new president.
The appointment of Motohiko Nakamura, the youngest member of the Board of Directors at 47 years of age, as president marked a new start for the Company. Under his leadership, Circle K Sunkus accelerated reforms with the aim of significantly "Raising Quality" while "Becoming a Truly Exciting (WAKU WAKU) Enterprise" for all stakeholders.
Click here to view President Nakamura's inaugural message to stakeholders.
July 2007 : Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd. completed integration in all product categories.
In order to maintain both the Circle K and Sunkus brands following the merger, we worked to unify operations in all divisions, with an emphasis on integration of product vendor and logistics networks, in order to maximize economies of scale from the merger while minimizing redundant costs. Integration in all product categories was completed in July 2007.
2007 to 2008 : Development of hallmark Circle K Sunkus products.
Leveraging integration in all product categories, Circle K Sunkus took aggressive merchandising initiatives in order to develop top-selling products. These efforts culminated in the launch of Oishii Pan Seikatsu, an original baked goods brand, in May 2007 and Cherie Dolce, an original dessert brand in the following November. This was followed in October 2008 by the launch of a new original pasta brand, rubetta. We continue to develop all of these brands into hallmark Circle K Sunkus brands.
November 2008 : Unification of Franchise Agreements for New Stores.
Integration has been achieved in every product category following the merger. As the capstone of this effort, we have unified franchise agreements for new stores, which had formerly differed by store brand. This change will eliminate inconsistencies between the store operations of both brands and allow the same store supervisors and store developers to oversee both Circle K and Sunkus stores. Boosting operational efficiency is our goal.
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