Total sales increased 1.5% year on year to 101,746 million. Excluding sales of Highway Card toll cards, existing store sales decreased 0.4% (the impact of these cards was 5.4%). Average daily sales per store were 457,000, while the average amount spent per customer was 637, an increase of 0.8%. The average number of customers per store per day was 755, down 1.2% year on year.

Store openings continued to proceed smoothly in February. As a result, in the fiscal year ended February 29, 2004, Lawson opened 625 stores and closed 429 stores (including 205 relocations). As a result, Lawson had a total of 7,821 stores as of February 29, 2004. The net increase of 196 stores was largely in line with the company's plans.

In the rice dish category, hand-rolled rice balls recorded double-digit sales growth, while 1 million units of Marukaburi Sushi were sold, double the sales volume last year. In contrast, sales of Jikamaki rice balls and boxed lunches struggled. Overall, same-store sales in the rice dish category failed to reach the level of the previous year, when results were bolstered by strong demand for beef bowls and other products.

Cold noodles, which went on sale earlier than last year, sold strongly. Sales of oden (a kind of Japanese hotchpotch or stew) dropped, but healthy sales of Chinese dumplings and other products lifted overall fast food category sales above the previous year.

Bakery category sales, boosted by new product launches in the Totte Oki Sengen series of original breads and the increasingly reliable sales performance of standard products, continued to outpace the previous year. One highlight was the popularity of Lawson's melon-flavored bread, which also attracted interest from the media.

Soft drink sales were brisk as the whole country enjoyed fine weather. Another factor driving sales was the growing number of regions where Lawson sells the Healthya brand of green tea.

On February 20, Lawson started accepting orders for Bayside Shakedown 2 videos and DVDs. Some items are only available at Lawson.

Lawson plans to announce its operating results for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2004 on Wednesday, April 14.