Lawson opened a small supermarket offering fresh produce and other goods at reasonable prices in the city of Kodaira in western Tokyo on Thursday, the first such outlet run by the major Japanese convenience store chain. The supermarket, named L Minimart, aims to attract budget-conscious consumers amid rising prices. Lawson plans to open two more L Minimart stores in June — one in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward and the other in the city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The company will consider further store openings based on sales performance and local needs. L Minimart will be launched by renovating some Lawson Store 100 outlets, the company’s low-price convenience stores. The supermarket, which is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in principle, is expected to have a larger sales space than Lawson Store 100 for vegetables, meats, eggs and nattō fermented soybean products. Competition among small supermarkets is intensifying in the Tokyo metropolitan area.…