Seiyu Plans To Expand Lineup Of Products Sold Online

Japanese supermarket operator Seiyu announced plans to increase the number of products it sells online to 100,000, or five times the current level, in the next three years. An affiliate of US retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Seiyu aims to use its online operations to reach customers not covered by its store network. Seiyu’s online move is in contrast with leading trading house Sumitomo Corp.’s withdrawal from the Internet supermarket sales segment. At present, Seiyu uses two methods to deliver consumer orders: direct from the nearest store to the customer and via its distribution centers. This approach allows the supermarket chain, which expects online sales to grow 40 percent faster than the previous year, to maintain the freshness of perishable items and keeping as many products available online as possible.