Japanese convenience stores hikes price of popular fried chicken after 36 years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:00 JST, April 16, 2022

Lawson Inc. will raise the price of its hot-selling Kara-age Kun fried chicken by ¥22 to ¥238 per pack from May 31.

It is the first time for the major convenience store chain operator to hike the price since the product’s launch in 1986.

In an announcement released Friday, the firm cited higher costs for ingredients, packaging materials and transportation as the main reasons for the price increase.

Kara-age Kun is a popular bite-sized chicken snack usually found next to the cash register, and, to date, more than 3.7 billion servings have been rung through the tills.

Lawson said it plans to continue to using domestically produced flour and chicken meat even after the price increase.

The statement also said that the company will raise prices by about 6% for some refrigerated foods and some eatables prepared at in-store kitchens.