CEATEC JAPAN 2018
CEATEC AWARD 2018 Review Panel’s Special Award Selected

Review Panel’s Special Award: Lawson, Inc.
Future Lawson Convenience Store with OMOTENASHI
supported by digital technology

October 16, 2018

At CEATEC JAPAN 2018, under the exhibition theme “Connecting Society, Co-Creating the Future”, CEATEC AWARD 2018 is held with the aim of realizing “Society 5.0” through CPS/IoT, contributing to the creation and development of new value and markets, and contributing to the invigoration of those related industries. Today, we have announced the recipient of the Review Panel’s Special Award through the rigorous scrutiny of the CEATEC AWARD review board panel of judges.

The award ceremony for the Review Panel’s Special Award will be held during the CEATEC JAPAN 2018 Exhibitors Reception scheduled from 6:00PM on Tuesday, October 16th at the International Conference Room located on the 2nd floor of the International Conference Hall at Makuhari Messe.

The recipient of the Review Panel’s Special Award is:

Review Panel’s Special Award

Future Lawson Convenience Store with OMOTENASHI supported by digital technology
Lawson, Inc. (Booth No. S015-20)

Overview:
Lawson, Inc. operates approximately 14,500 stores throughout Japan with its corporate theme of “Creating Happiness and Harmony in Our Communities”. The company is now striving to make possible a futuristic digital convenience store based on the concept of “Delectable and Health-conscious Services with Hospitality”. The ideal convenience store of the future according to this philosophy is an establishment that provides a warm welcome to customers by prioritizing their needs. Utilizing the advantages that brick and mortar stores have to offer in an age where eCommerce has proliferated tremendously, Lawson has endeavored to introduce a highly unique convenience store designed to better answer the requirements of customers across all generations.

Selection and appraisals:
To realize effective partnerships unique to the retail industry, Lawson has collaborated with more than twenty partners on an IoT platform and integrated these technologies offered by partner companies to provide a test sample for the development of new markets in the field of IoT. Making an appeal at CEATEC JAPAN 2018 as a Japanese convenience store leading the way in the field of digitalized retail, Lawson strives to make a significant societal impact by contributing to growth in the worldwide economy by working together with companies offering advanced technologies. Lawson's corporate philosophy addresses social issues such as global aging, manpower constraints, etc. and enhances the essence of omotenashi (polite hospitality) with redesigned store layouts that ensure better customer service and the reduction in food deserts by improving access to affordable, nutritious food. By combining precise and meticulous services unique to Japan and the latest technologies like RFID, Lawson can be expected to remain at the forefront of a very competitive business environment.

◆Review Board Panel of Judges of the CEATEC AWARD 2018 (no specific order)

Mr. Toshiyuki Nakata (Information Processing Society of Japan)
Ms. Haruko Kawahigashi (Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers)
Mr. Toru Takabayashi (The Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers)
Mr. Tetsuya Muroyama (Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists)
Mr. Waichi Sekiguchi (Nikkei Inc.)
Mr. Tetsushi Hayashi (Nikkei BP ICT Innovation Research Institute)
Mr. Makoto Nishisaka (ITmedia Inc.)
Mr. Asuka Yazaki (Engaget Editorial Department, Oath Japan KK)
Mr. Yutaka Ake (Nikkan-Kogyo Shimbun)