The Remarkable Dominance Of Convenience Stores in Taiwan

Taiwan is renowned for its remarkable density of convenience stores, a feature woven deeply into the urban and rural landscapes alike. According to my own data collection using the official store inquiry websites of 7-Eleven and FamilyMart as of June 2024, Taiwan is home to 7,021 locations of 7-Eleven and 4,251 FamilyMart stores, including those on its outlying islands. Along with an additional 1,590 Hi-Life and 902 OK Mart stores (based on Wikipedia data), Taiwan hosts approximately 13,764 convenience stores in total.

While these numbers offer a solid overview, they fluctuate as new stores open and others close. Just after my count was complete, a FamilyMart in my neighborhood shut down. Without direct access to company databases, it’s challenging to pinpoint real-time numbers, but I believe the overall figure will remain stable in the coming years. In fact, it seems that 7-Eleven may have reached market saturation, with at least one location in nearly every district across Taiwan.

The impressive volume of these stores inspired me to create a series of maps illustrating their distribution and to dive deeper into the data. Here are some standout findings:

District with the Most Stores

Taoyuan District in Taoyuan City leads with 163 7-Eleven stores, while Banqiao District in New Taipei City has the most FamilyMart locations at 137. Banqiao also has the highest combined total, with 286 stores across both chains.

District with No Stores

Only one district in Taiwan has neither 7-Eleven nor FamilyMart: Wuqiu Township in Kinmen County, likely due to its small island setting as a military base.

Stores per Capita

Baoshan Township in Hsinchu County has the highest 7-Eleven density per capita, with 14 stores per 10,000. And together with FamilyMart stores Baoshan Township has the highest overall convenience store availability (16 per 10,000 people) — or one store for every 625 residents. For FamilyMart, Central District in Taichung City leads with 10 stores per 10,000 people.

Store Density

Central District in Taichung boasts the highest density of convenience stores, with 31 stores per square kilometer. Though a theoretical value due to its compact area of only 0.9 km², this results in a real density of about 27 stores within that small area.

Highest-Elevation Store

While many might assume that the 7-Eleven on the 35th floor of Taipei 101 claims the highest elevation, the actual record belongs to the 7-Eleven and FamilyMart stores in Qingjing, Ren’ai Township in Nantou, both situated at approximately 2,050 meters above sea level.

Locations of 7-Eleven and FamilyMart Stores

The first map illustrates the distribution of convenience stores across Taiwan, with locations represented as dots that are randomly placed based on the number of stores in each district or township. This method serves as a close approximation, especially for smaller districts with high store densities. However, for larger districts in mountainous areas, the distribution is less accurate, and some dots in central Taiwan may not reflect the precise store locations, but instead indicate general areas.

Even without detailed geographic knowledge, the map’s store locations alone make Taiwan’s major cities easy to identify. The Taipei–New Taipei–Taoyuan area stands out prominently, followed by Taichung, with Tainan and Kaohsiung also clearly visible as significant urban centers.

Taiwan 7-Eleven Stores With Draft Beer: Your Ultimate Map

Taiwanese convenience stores offer more than expected, some have even a bar with draft beer. This interactive map shows all 7-Eleven stores serving draft beer.

Dominating Chain in Each District

The next map highlights the dominance of each convenience store chain across Taiwan, showing where 7-Eleven and FamilyMart prevail. Despite 7-Eleven having nearly twice as many locations as FamilyMart, it does not dominate every district or township. In fact, FamilyMart leads in 19 districts, while both chains maintain an equal presence in 34 districts.

Number of Stores per District

The following map displays the number of 7-Eleven and FamilyMart stores in each district. It’s evident that 7-Eleven has at least one location in every district across Taiwan, while FamilyMart is absent from areas with low population density. This strategy makes sense; there’s little incentive to compete with 7-Eleven in sparsely populated regions with limited customer demand.

Notably, 7-Eleven has over 100 stores in 11 districts, primarily in the densely populated centers of major cities. By contrast, FamilyMart surpasses 100 stores in only two districts, Banqiao and Zhonghe, both located in New Taipei City. In general, it appears that FamilyMart concentrates more on urban locations, while 7-Eleven has adopted a broader distribution, reaching even less populated areas.

North vs. South

The final map highlights the regional distribution of convenience stores, revealing that half of all stores on Taiwan’s main island are located in the north, particularly concentrated in the Greater Taipei Area. This trend holds true for both 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, underscoring the north’s dominance in store density.

Wrapping Up: Convenience, Data, and What’s Next

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the fascinating world of convenience stores in Taiwan. Exploring their numbers and distribution was not only an intriguing subject but also a rewarding exercise in data collection, analysis, and visualization for me. There’s still so much more to uncover, and I might share follow-up articles in the future. If you’re interested in more stories about Taiwan or creative data projects, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Instagram—I’d love to have you along for the journey!

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