AVITA and Lawson Open First “Experiential Flagship Store” Featuring Avatars and Generative AI in Osaka

“Lawson JAM BASE Store” Opens September 6 Inside GRAND GREEN OSAKA, a New Urban Development District Near JR Osaka Station

AVITA Inc. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; CEO/CTO: Hiroshi Ishiguro; hereinafter “AVITA”) and Lawson, Inc. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Sadanobu Takemasu; hereinafter “Lawson”) will jointly open the Lawson JAM BASE Store, the first experiential flagship store featuring avatar and generative AI technology.
The store will open on September 6, 2024, inside JAM BASE, a core facility within GRAND GREEN OSAKA, a major redevelopment project in front of JR Osaka Station.

About the Lawson JAM BASE Store

The new store introduces an unprecedented combination of avatar-based customer service and generative AI-driven experiences, extending beyond traditional convenience store formats. In addition to avatar-operated customer engagement currently deployed in select Lawson stores, the JAM BASE location features a unique interactive eat-in space where visitors can communicate with avatars powered by generative AI.

This flagship store represents the deepest collaboration to date between Lawson and AVITA, deploying the largest number of avatars ever installed in a single Lawson location. This reflects both companies’ shared vision of creating new “connections” through avatar technology.

・Interactive Eat-In Space Featuring Avatars and Generative AI
To create “the most delightful eat-in space in the world,” the store includes an area where customers can interact with avatars.
An avatar-operated vending machine (Note 1) will also be installed, enabling future collaborations with various companies and VTubers.

Note 1: At launch, the vending machine will collaborate with popular VTubers Ponpoko & Peanuts-kun, offering original merchandise. (No avatar interaction will be available during the collaboration period.)

・Avatar Customer Service by Lawson Avatar Operators
Trained “Lawson Avatar Operators” remotely control avatars from off-site locations, supporting in-store tasks such as customer assistance, self-checkout guidance, and sales promotion.

Store Overview

• Store Name: Lawson JAM BASE Store

• Opening Date: Friday, September 6, 2024, 11:00 AM

• Address: JAM BASE North Building, 2F, 6-38 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka

• Hours: 7:00–23:00 (Open year-round except on building maintenance days)
  

Past Collaboration Between Lawson and AVITA

Lawson and AVITA began collaborating in September 2022 to explore new workstyles unconstrained by time, location, age, gender, or physical limitations—particularly for addressing labor shortages and late-night staffing challenges.

As part of this partnership, the AVACOM avatar customer service system was first introduced at the near-future concept store Green Lawson in November 2022.
Since then, avatar-operated customer service has expanded to 14 locations across 6 prefectures (Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa).

About JAM BASE

JAM BASE is a core facility within GRAND GREEN OSAKA, the second-phase development of the Umeda/Yard redevelopment area near JR Osaka Station. Opening on September 6, 2024, the facility embraces the concept:

“Mazamasa to Samazama ga Mazaru Sama” — a place where diverse people and ideas blend together.

Located across floors 1–9 of the North Building and integrated with Ume-kita Park, JAM BASE is designed as a dynamic environment where diverse activities and encounters coexist, fostering creativity and innovation.

URL: https://umekita.com/jambase/

About GRAND GREEN OSAKA

GRAND GREEN OSAKA is a large-scale mixed-use redevelopment project in front of JR Osaka Station, following the earlier Grand Front Osaka development completed in 2013.
The project will feature offices, hotels, commercial facilities, residential areas, a major urban park, and core innovation hubs.
GRAND GREEN OSAKA will open its initial phase on September 6, 2024, with full completion scheduled for FY2027.

URL: https://umekita.com/