The growth of “24 Sweets Shop,” an unmanned sweets specialty store, is unstoppable. In just a year and a half since its opening, it has expanded to over 90 locations. They have developed a business model that allows for the sale of popular sweets from across Japan on a per-item basis.
24 Sweets Shop, an unmanned sweets store that opened in Hiroshima in January 2023, is gaining attention for its unique approach. The store offers a selection of nearly 100 rare frozen sweets sourced from across Japan and features a social media-friendly interior design. Within a year and a half of opening, it has expanded to over 90 locations. Approximately 70% of the customers are women, with the busiest hours between 7 PM and 11 PM. This timing captures the demand from those who want to enjoy sweets after work, a need not met by most patisseries that close earlier in the evening.
President Kubota developed a business model that mitigates shipping costs by purchasing in large lots, allowing the sale of unique items from various sweet shops on a per-item basis. The goal is to expand to 500 stores, rapidly growing through a franchise model. The expansion into non-urban areas is driven by the mission to bring popular sweets to regions with less access to such items. This also enriches the product lineup as it incorporates unique sweets specific to different areas.
Common bestsellers across the stores include visually appealing and delicious products like shortcakes in cans, dumplings in jars, and candy apples. The company aims to introduce about 200 new items annually, continuously negotiating with sweet shops to enhance their offerings.
24 Sweets Shop is also considering OEM production and the development of private label products to create exclusive items that can increase store visits, ensuring customers can only find these products at their locations.
Sweet Potato Parfait
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