Famima!! was a chain of small upscale
convenience stores owned by
FamilyMart stores of
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. Founded on September 17, 2004, the stores brought the Japanese model of premium convenience stores targeting the middle- and upper-level income group of 21 – 41 years of age to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Famima stores feature upscale design and premium foods, packaging deli-style "lunch boxes" (
sandwiches,
panini,
sushi
is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...
), international and American goods popular in the United States.
FamilyMart opened and closed a number of Famima stores in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
between 2005 and 2013.
The company originally had plans for 30 test stores with 220 additional stores by 2009. However, the company's contraction came as quickly as its expansion and Famima closed many of the original test sites. There were nine active locations as of July 2010, according to the company's website.
In 2015, FamilyMart liquidated Famima Corp. USA and announced that it would be withdrawing from the United States market, permanently closing all remaining Famima stores in Southern California by the end of October 2015, in order to concentrate its resources on its network of stores in Asia.
Nikkei.com. 2015-08-27.
Locations
All locations were formerly located in the Greater Los Angeles area
Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...
.
* Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
(all closed - date unknown)
** Two California Plaza
** City National Plaza
** 700 Wilshire
** Roosevelt (7th Street at Flower Street)
** Pacific Center (6th Street at Olive Street, near Pershing Square)
** Broadway Arcade Building
**622 Flower Street
** Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
* Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
(closed as of September 22, 2015)
* Hollywood Plaza on Hollywood Blvd. (near Hollywood and Highland) (closed as of March 2011)
* Culver Center in Culver City ( Venice Boulevard at Overland Ave) (closed as of October 2011)
* Arcadia - Santa Anita Ave and Live Oak Ave (closed as of October 2009)
* Fountain Valley - Bushard St. and Warner Ave (closed as of December 6, 2009)
* Glendale (closed - date unknown)
* 8th & Figueroa (closed - date unknown)
* Lakewood - Downey and South Street (closed - date unknown)
* Long Beach
** 2nd Street in Belmont Shore (closed as of March 1, 2008)
** Los Coyotes Diagonal (closed as of March 1, 2008)
* Pasadena
** Playhouse District - Colorado Boulevard (closed as of November 30, 2009)
** Old Pasadena - Raymond Avenue and Union Street (closed as of January 2010)
* Torrance (closed as of May 30, 2008)
* West Hollywood (closed as of February 1, 2009)
* Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia (closed as of May 2013)
* Westwood (closed - date unknown)
References
External links
*
*Andrea Gardner
More than convenient, it's Famima!!
'' Marketplace (radio program)'', May 29, 2006
*Jonathan Gold, , '' LA Weekly'', September 20, 2006
Companies based in Torrance, California
Convenience stores of the United States
American companies established in 2004
Retail companies established in 2004
Retail companies disestablished in 2015
American subsidiaries of foreign companies
2004 establishments in California
2015 disestablishments in California
Itochu
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