Executives at Japanese convenience store chains FamilyMart and Lawson are used to seeing each other as rivals. But now they have found a way to work together. Starting this week, they will share delivery trucks for frozen food.

The firms say they'll combine cargo between key sites across northeastern Japan from Thursday.

The arrangement will stay in place from April to June, and then September to November, when transport volume is fairly stable. It will also be subject to the availability of truck space.

The collaboration is a response to a new cap on overtime for truck drivers, which has prompted many to quit the industry and worsened a worker shortage.
FamilyMart has already tapped into the logistics network of a drinks manufacturer to supply some of its outlets near Tokyo.

Meanwhile Lawson has cut deliveries of packaged meals to some of its stores from three times a day to two.

The chains say they may expand the new arrangement to other parts of the country.