FamilyMart to sell six sweets using new “Mugen Cream” from Oct 13
In short
FamilyMart will replace the whipped cream used in its sweets for the first time in eight years and roll out six items made with the new “Mugen Cream” at about 16,500 stores nationwide from Oct 13. Two products are new and four are renewals, including the cream-filled double shoe at 199 yen, which will carry 30% more whipped cream for one week. Nikkei reported the chain aims to lift sweets sales in the two weeks after launch by 30% from a year earlier.
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FamilyMart said it will replace the whipped cream used in its sweets for the first time in eight years and sell six items made with the new cream, Mynavi News and ASCII.jp reported. The company announced the line-up on Oct 6, according to Nikkei, and the products will be sold at about 16,500 stores nationwide from Oct 13. Two products are new and four are renewals, Mynavi News and ASCII.jp said. Nikkei reported that the cream, which combines a rich taste with a smooth melt-in-the-mouth texture, was named “Mugen Cream” (infinite cream) because it can supposedly be eaten endlessly. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
On Oct 13 FamilyMart will release the fresh cream roll cake at 213 yen and the “almost cream cake” at 248 yen, and renew the cream-filled double shoe at 199 yen, the outlets said. The roll cake uses 100% Hokkaido fresh cream, while the “almost cream cake” combines the new whipped cream with Hokkaido fresh cream, according to Mynavi News and ASCII.jp. Three more items follow on Oct 20, the two outlets said: the double cream éclair at 298 yen, the “pudding that melts drowning in cream” at 248 yen and Famima The Crepe nama chocolate at 270 yen, all using the new whipped cream. [ 1 , 4 ]
From Oct 13 to 19, the whipped cream in the double shoe will be increased by 30% compared with products sold from Oct 20, while stocks last, Mynavi News and ASCII.jp reported. ASCII.jp said the campaign runs to Oct 26 and includes free “Familetter” message cards in 10 versions with each Famimaru Sweets dessert purchased, and an X campaign from 9:00 on Oct 13 to 23:59 on Oct 19 offering double shoe coupons to 10,000 people by lottery, usable until Oct 26. [ 1 , 4 ]
Nikkei reported that convenience store operators are seeing customer numbers fall because of high prices and poor weather, and that FamilyMart aims to use the launch to increase customer numbers and lift sweets sales in the two weeks after release by 30% from a year earlier. The other documents do not mention a sales target or the decline in customer numbers. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Nikkei reported that convenience store operators are seeing customer numbers fall amid high prices and poor weather, so FamilyMart is using the launch to try to draw shoppers back and lift sweets sales. The rollout is therefore a test of whether renewing a staple product line can add customers, though the other documents give no details on the chain's sales performance.
Key facts
- FamilyMart will renew its whipped cream for the first time in eight years and sell six sweets using the new “Mugen Cream” at about 16,500 stores nationwide. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Two products are new — the fresh cream roll cake at 213 yen and the “almost cream cake” at 248 yen — while four existing products are renewed. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Sales start on Oct 13, with three more items following on Oct 20, including the double cream éclair at 298 yen. [ 1 , 4 ]
- The renewed cream-filled double shoe (199 yen) will have 30% more whipped cream from Oct 13 to 19, while stocks last. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Free “Familetter” message cards in 10 designs are given with each Famimaru Sweets dessert purchase. [ 1 , 4 ]
- FamilyMart aims to raise sweets sales in the two weeks after launch by 30% year on year, Nikkei reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- FamilyMart announced six sweets using a renewed cream, to go on sale at about 16,500 stores nationwide from Oct 13. [ 1 , 4 ]
- The line-up consists of two new products and four renewals, with the double shoe at 199 yen, the fresh cream roll cake at 213 yen and the “almost cream cake” at 248 yen. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- From Oct 13 to 19, the whipped cream in the double shoe is 30% larger than in products sold from Oct 20, while stocks last. [ 1 , 4 ]
- One free “Familetter” message card, in 10 designs, is offered with each Famimaru Sweets dessert purchase. [ 1 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- FamilyMart aims to increase sweets sales in the two weeks after launch by 30% compared with a year earlier. This target appears only in Nikkei's report and is not repeated in the other documents, which do not give any sales goal.
- Convenience store operators are seeing customer numbers fall because of high prices and poor weather. This market context appears only in Nikkei and is not stated in the other documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Mynavi News reports that FamilyMart will replace its whipped cream for the first time in eight years, with six sweets using the new “Mugen Cream” to go on sale from Oct 13. [ 1 ]
- Nikkei reports the launch and says FamilyMart aims to raise sweets sales in the two weeks after release by 30% from a year earlier. [ 2 ]
- Mynavi News publishes a second item on the six-product line-up and the eight-year cream renewal. [ 3 ]
- ASCII.jp reports the campaign will run from Oct 13 to Oct 26, including the one-week 30% cream increase on the double shoe and an X campaign with 10,000 free coupons. [ 4 ]
- The “FamilyMart's Mugen Cream is born!” campaign on X begins; it runs to 23:59 on Oct 19, with coupons usable until Oct 26. [ 4 ]