{
  "id": 20099727,
  "title": "Japan’s FamilyMart pulls up striped socks to survive convenience store rivalry",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/japans-familymart-pulls-up-striped-socks-to-survive-convenience-store",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-15T02:00:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3374465/japans-familymart-pulls-striped-socks-survive-convenience-store-rivalry"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "For some people, the blue, green and white striped socks hanging near the entrance of a FamilyMart convenience store may look more like an emergency purchase than a fashion statement. Yet the 390 yen (US$2.44) socks have become one of Japan’s best-known products at convenience stores, which are usually the go-to for snacks and drinks. With 40 million pairs sold since 2021, they have helped…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}