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Japanese supermarket operator Maruetsu has announced the opening of its first overseas store, which will be located in China.

The company intends to open a 2000m² premium Lincos supermarket store at the end of this month.

The new Lincos store is located in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, and will offer more than 20,000 products to consumers, including fresh produce and processed foods.

This is the first of the operator’s proposed stores, which exceed 100 in total.

Maruetsu is operating as part of a joint venture through Chinese company Suning.

The company has stated its plans are intended to offset stagnation in Japan, where the population is declining.

Initially a fresh fish retailer when it first opened in 1945, Maruetsu has grown into an operator of more than 270 stores through Tokyo’s metropolitan area.