Circle K Sunkus
Circle K Sunkus (サークルKサンクス, Sākuru K Sankusu, stylized as CircleKSunkus) was a chain of company-operated and franchised convenience stores in Japan. The company is a division of UNY Co., Ltd., which licensed the Circle K name from Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canadian convenience store company that owns the Circle K brand.
 Japanese version Circle K Sunkus logo as shown atop a building | |
Native name | 株式会社サークルKサンクス |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Sākuru Kei Sankusu |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Retail (Convenience stores) |
| Founded | Tokyo, Japan (2004) |
| Defunct | September 1, 2016 |
| Fate | The FamilyMart Co., Ltd was merged with UNY Co., Ltd to create Family Mart UNY Holdings Co., Ltd, which means all Circle K and Sunkus' stores were operated as FamilyMart. |
| Successor | FamilyMart |
| Headquarters | 20-1 Shiohama 2, Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan |
Key people | Motohiko Nakamura, President |
| Revenue | - |
Number of employees | 1,759 (2010) |
| Parent | UNY Co., Ltd. |
| Website | Circle K Sunkus' official website - at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-01-04) |
The typical Japanese convenience store goods such as magazines, manga, soft drinks, contraceptives, onigiri, and bento are available.
As of September 1, 2016, all Circle K Sunkus stores have been rebranded as FamilyMart stores as a result of the FamilyMart Co. and Uny Group Holdings Co. merger.[1]
History
The first Circle K store in Japan opened on March 15, 1980 in Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya.
The first Sunkus store opened in Aoba-ku, Sendai on July 23, 1980. The Sunkus chain expanded to Tokyo in 1981, Hokkaido in 1982, Osaka in 1989 and Nagoya in 1992.
Sunkus and Circle K Japan formed an equity and business alliance in October 1998.
The franchiser, Sunkus & Associates Inc. officially merged with Circle K Japan Co., Ltd. as of the September 1, 2004 fiscal year and was known officially as Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd (株式会社サークルKサンクス). The two brands remained separate — convenience stores owned by the company had either a Sunkus sign or a Circle K sign.
Facts about Sunkus
The word "Sunkus" is a combination of the words "Sun" and the word "Thanks",[2] The logo is a combination of the words "Sun", "Kids", and "Us".
References
- "Japan's FamilyMart, UNY to merge in September 2016". Reuters. 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
- Circle K Sunkus: Company Outline Archived 2005-12-01 at the Wayback Machine.
