Sun, May 17, 2026 page3

• Convenience stores focus on Southeast Asian customers

  TREND: Migrant workers mainly come from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, driving strong demand for Southeast Asian products, FamilyMart said

  • By Yang Ya-min and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  As migrant workers, foreign students and new immigrants increasingly rely on convenience stores for daily necessities and services, such chains are focusing on Taiwan’s growing Southeast Asian consumer base.

  Retailers have expanded efforts ranging from store layouts and Southeast Asian food offerings to personal financial services to capture rising demand among Taiwan’s foreign residents.

  The number of migrant workers in Taiwan has more than doubled over the past 15 years, rising from about 390,000 in 2011 to more than 870,000 this year, Ministry of Labor statistics showed.

  

  A display of South East Asian food is pictured at a 7-Eleven store in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Yang Ya-min, Taipei Times

  If undocumented migrant workers, Southeast Asian spouses of Taiwanese and international students are included, the total is estimated to rise to about 1.2 million.

  A nationwide survey conducted by One-Forty, a nonprofit, found that convenience stores have become migrant workers’ “third space” outside factories and dormitories. Migrant workers visit convenience stores on average every two days, with food purchases, international remittances and parcel services ranking as the three most commonly used services.

  To meet the growing demand, convenience store chains such as FamilyMart and 7-Eleven have expanded efforts in store operations, product development, service optimization and social engagement to create what they describe as more “diverse and inclusive” shopping environments.

  Migrant workers in Taiwan mainly come from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, driving strong demand for Southeast Asian food and lifestyle products, FamilyMart said.

  The company said that since 2020, it has introduced Southeast Asian product sections at stores in residential and industrial areas with large migrant worker populations.

  The sections feature about 100 products from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, including snacks, beverages, canned foods and seasonings. Price tags also include country-of-origin and halal labels, while product information has been upgraded to Chinese and English, it said.

  FamilyMart said it has accelerated expansion of the sections in the past few years, with about 1,200 stores across Taiwan — about 30 percent of all outlets — now featuring Southeast Asian product areas. Sales in the category last year rose about 70 percent from the previous year.

  In 2024, the company also launched Taiwan’s first pork-free hot food section for Muslims and consumers with specific dietary needs, offering items such as pork-free hot dogs and steamed buns. The sections have been introduced at about 220 stores in areas frequently visited by migrant workers, including transportation hubs, hospitals, factory districts and tourist destinations, the company said.

  FamilyMart has also developed its hot food series featuring Southeast Asian flavors and halal-certified ready-to-eat meals, which are now available at about 700 stores nationwide.

  Meanwhile, 7-Eleven has also established Southeast Asian product sections at about 400 stores across Taiwan, mainly in industrial parks, transportation hubs, university districts and hospital areas with large migrant worker and foreign student populations.

  Popular products include instant noodles, snacks and seasonings, as well as Indonesian noodles, Philippine dried mangoes, Indonesian shrimp chili sauce, Thai peanuts, hot sauce, energy drinks, coconut water and rice noodles.

  PX Mart said migrant workers have also become a sizable and stable consumer group for the chain. In Hsinchu County’s Hukou Industrial Park and surrounding migrant worker communities, about one-fourth of migrant worker customers are considered high-frequency shoppers, visiting the chain more than once per week, while average shoppers visit about two to three times per month, it added.

  To meet the demand, PX Mart said it has also introduced Southeast Asian product sections in areas frequented by migrant workers, focusing on four high-demand categories: household goods, instant noodles, fresh produce, and snacks and beverages, while tailoring products to the preferences of different nationalities.

  The company said it has expanded vegetable and spice selections for Vietnamese consumers, strengthened hometown-flavor instant noodles and desserts for Filipinos, and introduced Indonesian personal care and household cleaning brands to improve convenience and familiarity for shoppers.
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