Japanese discount chain Don Quijote to open first South-east Asian store in Singapore

Shoppers line up in front of cashiers at the Don Quijote's central branch store in Tokyo on May 28, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS

SINGAPORE - Japanese discount store chain Don Quijote will be opening its first South-east Asian outlet in Singapore's Orchard area.

The Singapore store's opening date and other details will be announced later, it said in a press release on Monday (June 5).

The shop will offer "cool" Japanese products, it said.

The store will also be a development centre for its growth strategies in South-east Asia, said The Don Quijote Group and Pan Pacific International Holdings in a statement.

Don Quijote, popularly known as "Donki" in Japan, opened its first general discount store in 1989.

It is known for having a wide range of goods at low prices and for opening late into the night, with some stores open 24 hours.

It has grown into a general retailing group with 350 stores, the cumulative number of customers reaching 300 million a year and annual consolidated sales topping 800 billion yen (S$10 billion) in Japan.

Its revenue and operating profit have increased for 27 consecutive years, said the press release.

Outside Japan, the group operates three stores in Hawaii, which opened in 2006.

Pan Pacific International Holdings is the Singapore-based holding company for the group's overseas operations.

It was established in the city state in 2013. In September of the same year, the group acquired Marukai Corporation, which operates nine stores in California and two stores in Hawaii.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.