Lawson Opens Japan's First Trailer-House Convenience Store
Listen to the story
Lawson, one of Japan's biggest convenience store chains, has opened its first trailer house-type shop. The store opened on August 27 at Ebina Sports Park in Kanagawa Prefecture.
A trailer house store is different from a normal shop building. It is built like a trailer, so it can be moved from one place to another. This makes it more flexible than a regular store.
According to Lawson's announcement, the company is thinking about using the trailer store in a new way during disasters. If a big earthquake or other emergency happens, Lawson may move the store to the affected area.
In Japan, disasters such as earthquakes can badly damage local shops and roads. People in these areas often struggle to get food, water, and daily goods quickly after the disaster hits.
By using a movable store, Lawson hopes to bring supplies to people faster than usual. This could be very helpful in the first difficult days after a disaster, when transport is still difficult.
This is the first time Lawson has tried a trailer-type store. It shows how convenience store chains are looking for new ways to support communities, not only in normal times but also during emergencies.
The company has not given many more details yet, but the idea of a store that can move to a disaster area is seen as an interesting new step for Japan's retail industry.
Vocabulary6 words
- convenience store
- a small shop open long hours, selling food and daily things
- trailer house
- a small building on wheels that can be moved
- disaster
- a very bad, sudden event, like an earthquake, that hurts many people
- disaster area
- a place badly damaged by a disaster
- flexible
- able to change easily to fit new situations
- retail industry
- all the businesses that sell things to shoppers
Quiz
Answer key
1. It is built like a trailer and can be moved 2. Ebina Sports Park 3. It can be moved to bring supplies to affected areas quickly
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Lawson, one of Japan's biggest convenience store chains, has opened its first _____-type shop. The store opened on August 27 at Ebina Sports _____ in Kanagawa Prefecture.
A trailer house store is different from a normal shop building. It is built like a _____, so it can be moved from one place to another. This makes it more _____ than a regular store.
According to Lawson's announcement, the company is thinking about using the trailer store in a new way during _____. If a big earthquake or other emergency happens, Lawson may move the store to the affected area.
In Japan, disasters such as earthquakes can badly damage local shops and roads. People in these areas often struggle to get food, water, and daily _____ quickly after the disaster hits.
By using a _____ store, Lawson hopes to bring supplies to people faster than usual. This could be very helpful in the first difficult days after a disaster.
This is the first time Lawson has tried a trailer-type store. It shows how convenience store _____ are looking for new ways to support communities.
Discussion questions
- Do you think a movable store could help people quickly after a disaster? Why or why not?
- What other businesses could benefit from being 'movable' like this trailer store?
- Have you ever experienced a disaster where shops or services were closed? What happened?
- Do you think more companies in your country should prepare special services for emergencies?