Viet Nam is seeing a mini-boom in mini-marts, with local and foreign players beefing up their presence as shoppers eye easy buys while a robust economy increases spending power.

Convenience store numbers have jumped more than 260% since 2012, with at least 533 up and running by the end of last month, according to data from the companies.

Market watchers say Vietnamese consumers are increasingly willing to pay a little more for the convenience of mini-marts, which open for longer hours and are found in more and more locations.

A woman walks past a Vinmart shop in Ha Noi, October 12, 2015. Reuters

"There is a lot of room for growth. In other countries, convenience stores are about 20% of market. Here it is less than 10%," said CBRE Vietnam Executive Director Richard Leech.

Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, which has opened 93 Vinmart stores since the end of last year, recently said it would double its 2016 target to 2,000 outlets.

The mini-mart boom sharply contrasts with that of Viet Nam's supermarkets, which expanded around 3% to 313 stores in 2014 from 304 in 2012, according to market research firm Nielsen.

(Source: Tuoitrenews)