Don Quijote (store)

Coordinates: 35°39′44.73″N 139°44′5.11″E / 35.6624250°N 139.7347528°E / 35.6624250; 139.7347528
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Don Quijote Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社ドン・キホーテ
Company typePublic K.K. (TYO: 7532)
IndustryRetail
FoundedSeptember 5, 1980
FounderTakao Yasuda
HeadquartersMeguro, Tokyo, Japan
Number of locations
322 stores (April 2019)[1]
Area served
Japan, Singapore, China (Hong Kong and Macau), Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the United States (California, Hawaii, and Guam)
ProductsClothing, food, jewelry, housewares, tools, sporting goods and electronics
RevenueIncrease ¥487 billion (2010)[2]
Increase ¥21.1 billion (2010)[2]
Increase ¥10.2 billion (2010)[2]
Total assetsIncrease ¥302 billion (2010)[2]
Total equityIncrease ¥106.8 billion (2010)[2]
Number of employees
4,391
ParentPan Pacific International Holdings Corporation [ja][3]
SubsidiariesDon Quijote America
Websitedonki.com (in Japanese)

Don Quijote Co., Ltd. (株式会社ドン・キホーテ, kabushiki gaisha Don Kihōte) is a Japanese discount store chain. As of 2021, it has over 160 locations throughout Japan, 13 in Singapore, eight in Hong Kong, three in Hawaii and Malaysia, five in Bangkok, five in Taiwan, and one in Macau and Guam.[4][5][6][7] Its overseas locations are branded as Don Don Donki.

It provides a wide range of products, from basic groceries to electronics and clothing. The store is well known in Japan and is often referred to by its shortened name Donki (ドンキ). Distinctly, Don Quijote tends to keep very late hours for Japanese retailing (to 3 or 5am, or even 24 hours) and it packs its goods from ceiling to floor in a distinct merchandising strategy.

History[edit]

The front of the Don Quijote building in Roppongi
Don Quijote in Akihabara
Don Quijote building in Shinjuku

Origins[edit]

Founded by Takao Yasuda, Don Quijote opened its first store in Suginami, Tokyo in September 1980 under its original name, Just Co. Originally a retail store, Just Co. quickly switched to wholesale in 1982.[4][5][8]

The company opened its first "Don Quijote" named store in Fuchu, Tokyo in March 1989. With the name change, the store also changed its primary business from wholesale to retail. It was not until 1995, six years later, that Just Co. followed suit and it changed its corporate name to Don Quijote Co., Ltd as well. In June 1998, the company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.[5][8]

As one of the leading discount stores in Japan, the end of the Japanese economic bubble didn't severely affect the company. Instead, the sudden economic uncertainty caused the Japanese public to become more thrifty and therefore helped to boost sales at its stores during the early 1990s.[citation needed]

In 2005, idol group AKB48 opened its theater on the eighth floor of the Don Quijote Akihabara Outlet in Tokyo.[9] Also that year, a Ferris wheel opened at the facade of the Don Quijote Dōtonbori branch in Osaka.[10]

In October 2007, Don Quijote purchased the ailing Nagasakiya chain for 140 billion yen.[8] This store and 3 other group companies went defunct in Oct 2017 as creditors have pulled the plug on their combined 432 billion yen of debts.[11] Creditors continue to bankroll the rest of the group.

On June 28, 2017, PAQ, which operated Honolulu-based Times, Big Save and Shima, under the subsidiary QSI, Inc., announced that it had sold the 24 stores it owns in Hawaii to Honolulu-based Don Quijote (USA), using an executed stock purchase agreement with the sale closing in the 3rd quarter of 2017.[8] The deal will combine Times with three Don Quijote stores and two Marukai stores on Oahu. In a statement from Edwin Sawai, president of Don Quijote (USA) Co., Ltd. and Marukai Hawaii Co. Ltd., he said that “The opportunity to welcome the Times Supermarket family of stores and their employees to our ohana is exciting for us,” and added that “We are confident that we will successfully work together, share ideas and learn from each other's combined experiences to best serve Hawaii. For more than 68 years, Times Supermarket has been a local favorite and pillar of Hawaii's retail community. We look forward to continuing their history and success in the islands.”[12]

Further expansions[edit]

Singapore[edit]

Don Quijote opened its first Southeast Asian store at Orchard Central, Singapore, on December 1, 2017.[13][14][15] These stores are branded "Don Don Donki" as the Don Quijote name was in use by a local restaurant.[16] Don Quijote subsequently opened a second store at the 100AM Mall in Tanjong Pagar on June 14, 2018.[17] Don Quijote planned to have five stores in Singapore by the end of 2019 and 10 stores at the end of 2020.[18][19]

A third store was opened at City Square Mall in Singapore on January 11, 2019 with a fourth at Novena Square in May 2019.[20][21] The fifth store in Singapore is located at Jewel Changi Airport, under the Sweet Potato Factory concept. A store location was announced in June 2019 at Clarke Quay Central, increasing the total to six stores. Two more stores opened at Jem and JCube in November 2019 and January 2020 respectively.[22]

A 10th store opened at NTUC Downtown East.[23] In September 2021, Donki announced that it would open two more stores, one in Tampines and the other in the North-East Region. It added that it will open more at Jurong West and Yishun in 2022.[24]

Singapore has the largest amount of Don Quijote stores outside of the home islands. The founder of Don Quijote also lives in Singapore, specifically at Sentosa.[4]

Hong Kong[edit]

Don Don Donki at Central, HK

It also expanded to Hong Kong. Don Quijote has five outlets, one at Mira Place 2 in Tsim Sha Tsui, one at OP Mall in Tsuen Wan, one at Pearl City in Causeway Bay, one at 100QRC in Central and one at Monterey Place in Tseung Kwan O.[25][26] These stores have also adopted the Don Don Donki branding. Don Quijote opened one more store at the Island Resort Mall in Siu Sai Wan in February 2021,[27] and at TMT Plaza in Tuen Mun in July 2021.[28] The store in Amoy Plaza opened in January 2022,[29] and another store opened at Fashion World in The Whampoa in August 2022.

Thailand[edit]

Don Don Donki at MBK Center

The chain currently consists of six stores in Thailand, the first store in Thailand opened on February 22, 2019 in the Thonglor area of Bangkok.[30] one in Seacon Square (opened October 1, 2021),[31] one at the MBK Center (opened December 21, 2021),[32] one in Seacon Bangkae (opened June 20, 2022),[33] one at J-Park Sriracha Nihon Mura in Si Racha, Chonburi. (opened September 9, 2022),[34] and one in Thaniya Plaza on Si Lom Road. (opened January 23, 2023),[35] with one at The Market Shopping Mall in Ratchaprasong closed on September 4, 2022.[36]

Taiwan[edit]

On 19 January 2021, the first Don Don Donki store in Taiwan was opened in the Ximending Shopping District, Taipei amid the coronavirus pandemic. The three-floor outlet is open 24 hours a day and is located near Ximen metro station. It attracted more than 500 people who lined up in front of the outlet before its grand opening Tuesday.[37][38]

On 20 January 2022, the second Don Don Donki store in Taiwan opened in the Zhongxiao Xinsheng business district of Taipei. The second store is an underground single-floor store with an area of about 1,540 square meters (16,500 square feet). The store is located in close proximity to the Zhongxiao Xinsheng metro station. The Zhongxiao Xinsheng store will also open alongside four different kinds of booths selling Japanese foods; including MOCHI-MOCHI (selling freshly made Mochi), Inari Sushi Tamaya (selling Inari Sushi), Kondo (selling Japanese Wagyu beef skewers), and Color Food and Fitness (selling Daifuku made with seasonal Japanese fruits).[39]

On 22 August 2023, the 3rd Don Don Donki store in Taiwan opened in Citylink Nangang in Taipei.[40]

On 9 November 2023, the 4th Don Don Donki store in Taiwan opened in Tiger City in Taichung, with a total area of about 1,800 square meters (20,000 square feet), which was the largest Don Don Donki in Taiwan to date.[41]

On 7 December 2023, the 5th Don Don Donki store in Taiwan opened in Talee Department Store in Kaohsiung. It's currently the largest Taiwanese Don Don Donki with the area of nearly 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet). The opening attracted nearly 2000 shoppers. This store contains three exclusive areas: Outdoor for outdoor products, Donki Sake for Japanese sake and Cocokawaii for kawaii items.[42]

Malaysia[edit]

Don Don Donki in Lot 10

On 19 March 2021, the first Don Don Donki store in Malaysia was opened in Lot 10 of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.[6] A second store was opened on 9 December 2021 at Tropicana Gardens Mall in the Petaling Jaya district of Selangor; it is also the biggest outlet in Southeast Asia, spanning 42,243 sq ft across two levels of the mall.[43] A third store is set to open in 2022 at Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport mall located at Bukit Bintang City Centre. The company also plans to open up 11 new outlets by the year 2024.[44]

Macau[edit]

Don Don Donki opened its first store in Macau on 9 September 2021, at Fai Chi Kei.[45]

Guam[edit]

After breaking ground in February 2020, Don Don Donki was expected to open on Guam in the village of Tamuning during September 2021.[46] However, due to delays with visas for H-2B workers, cost increases, and building supply shortage the store was expected to open around July or August 2023.[47]

Theme song[edit]

Don Quijote is known for the distinctive song that plays in its stores. The song is called "Miracle Shopping [ja]" sung by Maimi Tanaka [ja], then Don Quijote store employee.[48] "Miracle Shopping" was later released as a maxi single in 1999 by Grace Notes Records [ja].[49] An English and Cantonese version has also been released. Both versions also have a remake under the "Don Don Donki" name to accommodate for the outlets outside Japan.[50][51]

Incidents[edit]

A street view of the Roppongi roller coaster that sits atop Don Quijote

Arson[edit]

In December 2004, four stores in the Kantō area were damaged or destroyed by arson attacks. Three store employees, Morio Oshima, 39, Mai Koishi, 20, and Maiko Sekiguchi, 19, died in the first arson incident. In 2007, Noriko Watanabe, 49, was found guilty of setting the fires and sentenced to life imprisonment. Don Quijote received harsh criticism at the time for poor store layout that made it difficult to find exits.[52]

Roller coaster[edit]

In 2005, Don Quijote began building a "half-pipe" roller coaster on the roof of its eight-story Roppongi store. Roppongi is a heavily populated area in the core of Tokyo, and many residents and businesses were upset with the idea of having a roller coaster in their neighborhood because of the spectacle, noise and crowds it would likely create. The project was completed in 2006 but due to increasing pressure from concerned groups in the area it was never operated. As of 2019, the structure had been removed.[53]

Overseas assets[edit]

Don Quijote purchased the Marukai Japanese chain stores in the United States in 2013, splitting it into Marukai and Tokyo Central Markets chains.[54][8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "月次売上高速報 (Monthly Sales Report Highlights)". ppi-hd.co.jp (in Japanese). Pan Pacific International Holdings Corporation. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Shared Research report - Don Quijote". Archived from the original on 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  3. ^ Du, Lisa (17 April 2019). "The Cult Japanese Retailer Making Billions Breaking All the Rules". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
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  5. ^ a b c "(Donki) Corporate History". Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  6. ^ a b Ong, Eunis (19 March 2021). "Japan's Popular Don Don Donki Has Finally Opened Its First Store In Malaysia At Lot 10, Bukit Bintang!". Klook. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  7. ^ "[STORE INFORMATION] DON DON DONKI THAILAND".
  8. ^ a b c d e "(PPIH) Corporate History" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  9. ^ "Girl idol group about mass exposure, fans". The Japan Times Inc. The Japan Times. August 24, 2010. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
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  16. ^ "Japan's Don Don Donki targets 10 stores in Singapore by 2020". CNA. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  17. ^ Ng, Charmaine (2018-06-05). "Don Don Donki opening second outlet at 100AM in Tanjong Pagar on June 14". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
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  19. ^ "Don Quijote rides high on rule-breaking reputation". Asahi Shimbun. August 14, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Japanese discount chain Don Don Donki opens third and largest outlet at City Square Mall". The Straits Times. January 10, 2019.
  21. ^ "Don Don Donki's fourth outlet to open in May at Novena's Square 2". The Straits Times. March 20, 2019.
  22. ^ "Don Don Donki opening 6th outlet soon at Clarke Quay Central".
  23. ^ Z, F (31 December 2020). "Don Don Donki Opening At Downtown East Soon, Easties Can Get Their Sweet Potatoes Again". mustsharenews.com. MSNews. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  24. ^ Tang, See Kit (15 September 2021). "A taste of Japan keeps Don Don Donki bustling despite pandemic; 2 new Singapore stores planned". CNA. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Don Quijote Hong Kong Store List". 2020-11-14.
  26. ^ "Japanese discount megastore Don Quijote opens second store in Hong Kong to meet growing demand by fans". InvestHK - Government Department of Foreign Direct Investment. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
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  28. ^ "Don Don Donki opens biggest Hong Kong store in Tuen Mun". Coconuts Media. 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  29. ^ "Donki is coming to Amoy Plaza this Christmas". The Standard. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08.
  30. ^ "Japan's discount king Don Quijote makes splash in Thai debut".
  31. ^ Pafun (2021-02-19). ""ดองกิ" เปิดสาขา 3 ซีคอนฯศรีนครินทร์ พร้อมลุยอีคอมเมิร์ซ". ประชาชาติธุรกิจ (in Thai). Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  32. ^ Pafun (2021-12-21). "เปิดแล้ว! Don Don: Donki สาขาที่ 4 ในประเทศไทย MBK Center โฉมใหม่ ช้อปได้เยอะ". Mango Zero (in Thai). Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  33. ^ "สาขาแรกในฝั่งธน! ดอง ดอง ดองกิ ซีคอนบางแค ซูเปอร์ญี่ปุ่นที่สายกินห้ามพลาด".
  34. ^ "เปิดใหม่! ดอง ดอง ดองกิ เจพาร์ค ศรีราชา และ SEN SEN SUSHI สาขาแรกในไทย".
  35. ^ "Donki ธนิยะพลาซ่า เปิด 23 ม.ค. เอาใจชาวสีลม สาขานี้เปิด 24 ชั่วโมง ไฮไลท์ 'ราเมนแผงลอย' แห่งแรก".
  36. ^ "เปิดได้ 2 ปี ไปต่อไม่ไหว! Donki ปิดสาขา The Market ราชประสงค์ แล้ว ตั้งแต่ 4 กันยายน". 5 September 2022.
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  39. ^ "唐吉訶德進駐高雄!開全台最大千坪旗艦店,主打特色壽司、日本生鮮專區". business next (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  40. ^ "唐吉訶德CITYLINK南港8/22上午11點開幕 獨家亮點一次看". ETtoday (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
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  44. ^ Aziz, Mahanum Abdul (2021-12-16). "LaLaport BBCC bakal beroperasi bulan depan". Berita Harian. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  45. ^ Moura, Nelson (27 August 2021). "Japanese discount retail brand DON DON DONKI to open first store in Macau". Macau Business. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  46. ^ Post, Kevin Tano | The Guam Daily (11 February 2020). "DON DON DONKI shopping center expected to open 2021". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  47. ^ Jackson Stephens Pacific Daily (21 August 2022). "Don Don Donki opening expected summer 2023". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  48. ^ 庄子結 (2021-03-31). "「自分」×「仕事」で分析すれば、仕事は楽しくなる" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-06-30 – via flier. 創業社長から店内ソングの依頼があり、「ミラクルショッピング」の作詞作曲歌も担当。[...] その後、子会社の代表取締役社長を経験したのち起業。
  49. ^ "田中マイミのプロフィール". March 2023.
  50. ^ "Miracle Shopping~ドン・キホーテのテーマ~English version ボーカリストオーディション開催!". www.donki.com (in Japanese). Don Quijote Holdings Co., Ltd. 2017. Retrieved 2023-11-12. 今回のオーディションでは、ドン・キホーテのさらなる海外進出へ向け ドン・キホーテのテーマソング「Miracle Shopping」の English versionを歌うボーカリストを募集します。
  51. ^ 陳菱櫻 (2021-03-22). "Donki洗腦歌由員工親自創作 關於Donki主題曲5件不可不知的事". food.ulifestyle.com.hk (in Chinese). U Lifestyle. Retrieved 2023-11-12. 之後亦有廣東話版,有人覺得廣東話版更洗腦,要求輪流播放不同語言的版本。
  52. ^ "Don Quijote store arsonist gets life for three deaths". The Japan Times. 2007-03-24. Archived from the original on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  53. ^ "Google Street View". Google Maps. 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  54. ^ "All 11 Marukai Stores to Be Sold". www.rafu.com. 4 September 2013.

External links[edit]

35°39′44.73″N 139°44′5.11″E / 35.6624250°N 139.7347528°E / 35.6624250; 139.7347528