Japan: Family Mart expands partnership with e-scooter company

The retailer has extended its collaboration with Luup to offer customers their micromobility-sharing services at their stores.

Japanese convenience store company Family Mart has extended its partnership with e-scooter firm Luup. The association involves the installation of Luup ports in several locations to enhance and revitalise convenience by creating new services throughout Tokyo.

Both companies have also agreed on joint marketing initiatives for Luup’s services and conduct educational activities in stores. This is part of the start-up’s strategy to expand its service throughout several cities of the country. The firm is currently active in Osaka, Kyoto and Yokohama and will tap into Family Mart’s chain of 16,600 stores across the country.

In addition, FamilyMart and Luup will assess the development of new services using the customer and movement data, and the shop and port networks that FamilyMart and Luup respectively have. The firms aim to contribute to the growth of each company’s services, as well as local communities.

The start-up was founded in 2018 to help curb carbon dioxide emissions through accessible and shared micro mobility. Luup has more than 90% of the national market share and is aiming to develop a wide range of mobility types with the objective to create a future in which people can move freely.