Aeon plans to increase the number of hypermarkets in Vietnam to 100 stores.

People come to have fun and shop at Aeon Long Bien. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA)

Nikkei newspaper reported that Aeon - Japan's largest retail group, plans to increase the number of hypermarkets, also known as "Super Supermarket (SSM)" and general merchandise stores (GMS) that the company is operating in Vietnam from 12 (as of February 2025) to about 100 stores by 2030.

Another large Japanese corporation, Sumitomo, also plans to open supermarkets in Vietnam, at a rate of about 10 stores per year.

With a population of over 100 million people, including a high proportion of young people, Vietnam is a consumer market expected to grow strongly in Southeast Asia and many foreign companies are developing business platforms in Vietnam.

In January 2025, Aeon opened a general store called Aeon Xuan Thuy in the capital city of Hanoi . The building is located in a developing area with many offices, schools, etc. and is close to the newly opened metro station. Aeon Xuan Thuy operates from the first to the third floors of this 4-storey building as a GMS, providing a food supermarket as well as cosmetics, furniture, clothing, and many other items.

The snack area operated by Aeon alone covers 1,620 square meters, far exceeding the average sales floor area of Japanese supermarkets (1,366 square meters, according to the Japan Supermarket Association). The third floor alone has 450 seats for customers to enjoy prepared food.

In addition, Aeon is looking to expand the SSM store model - a combination of a food supermarket and a GMS, combining a food supermarket with a food court and a cosmetics counter. The special thing is that the dishes are very diverse such as sushi, ramen, fried food, bento, bread... and most of the pre-prepared dishes are prepared right at the store.

As of the end of February 2025, Aeon is operating 12 GMS stores (including 3 separate SSM stores) and 36 food supermarkets (including City Mart stores wholly owned by AEON) in Vietnam.

Mr. Furusawa Yasuyuki, General Director of Aeon Vietnam said: "In order to compete on par with rivals such as Central - a large retail group in Thailand, we need to aim to reach 100 GMS and SSM locations by around 2030." Regarding small stores such as food supermarkets, Aeon is also considering expanding to about 200 stores.

Meanwhile, Sumitomo Group plans to expand its Fuji Mart food supermarket chain - developed through a partnership with Vietnam's BRG Group - from the current 20 stores to 50 stores by 2028. The group will leverage the know-how of Summit - a food supermarket chain that Sumitomo operates mainly in Tokyo - to operate the stores, with the aim of minimizing out-of-stock situations and strictly controlling product freshness.

Fuji Mart President Obama Yuji emphasized: “Although we are a Japanese supermarket, we are targeting Vietnamese people. While competing for customers from traditional markets with fresh food, we are differentiating ourselves from local supermarkets with processed foods and bakery items.” As of the end of 2011, the company had only a few stores in Vietnam, but since 2012, the company has been expanding its operations.

According to Aeon data, processed foods and bakery items account for 13% of total food sales at Japanese stores, but in Vietnam, this figure is up to 20%.

At Xuan Thuy supermarket in Hanoi, the rate of processed food sold reached nearly 30% (from the time of opening in January to early March), showing that Vietnamese consumers have high expectations for processed food at Japanese supermarkets.

Explaining about processed foods in supermarkets, General Director Furusawa said that in Vietnam, the whole family going to the store together, each person choosing their favorite food and then gathering to eat is a form of entertainment. Therefore, not just simply shopping for necessities, but creating added value in the form of culinary and entertainment experiences will be an opportunity to win in the Vietnamese market.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/172402/aeon-co-ke-hoach-tang-so-luong-dai-sieu-thi-tai-viet-nam-len-100-cua-hang