Don Quijote (store)
Don Quijote Co., Ltd., often referred to by its shortened name Donki, is a Japanese discount store chain. Donki stores provide a wide range of products, from basic groceries to electronics and clothing. They notably tend to stay open until early morning or even remain open 24/7, and products are packed from ceiling to floor in a distinct merchandising strategy.
As of 2021, it has over 160 locations throughout Japan and three in Hawaii. In addition, seventeen in Singapore, eleven in Hong Kong, four in Malaysia, eight in Thailand, five in Taiwan, two in Macau, and one in Guam are branded as Don Don Donki.
History
Origins
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.In March 1989, the company opened its first "Don Quijote" named store in Fuchu, Tokyo. With the name change, the store also changed its primary business from wholesale to retail. In 1995, Just Co. followed suit and changed its corporate name to Don Quijote Co., Ltd. In June 1998, the company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
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 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2005, idol group AKB48 opened its theater on the eighth floor of the Don Quijote Akihabara Outlet in Tokyo. Also that year, a Ferris wheel opened at the facade of the Don Quijote Dōtonbori branch in Osaka.
In October 2007, Don Quijote purchased the ailing Nagasakiya chain for 140 billion yen. 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. Creditors continue to bankroll the rest of the group.
In June 2017, PAQ, which operated Honolulu-based Times, Big Save and Shima, under the subsidiary QSI, Inc., sold the 24 stores it owns in Hawaii to Honolulu-based Don Quijote, using an executed stock purchase agreement with the sale closing in the 3rd quarter of 2017. 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 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.”
Further expansions
Singapore
Don Quijote opened its first Southeast Asian store at Orchard Central, Singapore, in December 2017. These stores are branded "Don Don Donki" as the Don Quijote name was in use by a local restaurant. Don Quijote opened a second store at the 100AM Mall in Tanjong Pagar in June 2018. There are 17 Don Don Donki stores in Singapore:- 100 AM
- Bukit Panjang Plaza
- City Square Mall
- Clarke Quay Central
- Downtown East
- HarbourFront Centre
- Jem
- Jewel Changi Airport
- Jurong Point
- Northpoint City
- Orchard Central
- Paya Lebar Quarter
- Square 2
- Suntec City
- Tampines 1
- Tiong Bahru Plaza
- Waterway Point
Hong Kong
Don Don Donki also expanded to Hong Kong with 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. The chain opened one more store at the Island Resort Mall in Siu Sai Wan in February 2021, and at TMT Plaza in Tuen Mun in July 2021.The store at Amoy Plaza in Jordan Valley opened in January 2022, and another store opened at Fashion World in Whampoa Garden in August 2022. Don Don Donki opened its Mong Kok branch in 2024.
Thailand
In Thailand, 2 Don Don Donki have been closed, and 8 others are currently operational.| Branch name | Opening date | Closing date | Located in | District | Province | Notes |
| Thonglor | 22 February 2562 | currently operational | Donki Mall Thonglor | Watthana | Bangkok | - |
| The Market Bangkok | 31 March 2563 | 4 September 2565 | The Market Bangkok | Pathum Wan | Bangkok | Closed due to Covid-19 pandemic, moved to MBK Center |
| Seacon Square | 1 October 2564 | currently operational | Seacon Square | Prawet | Bangkok | - |
| MBK Center | 21 December 2564 | currently operational | MBK Center | Pathum Wan | Bangkok | - |
| Seacon Bangkae | 20 June 2565 | currently operational | Seacon Bangkae | Phasi Charoen | Bangkok | - |
| Si Racha | 9 September 2565 | currently operational | J-Park Sriracha Nihon Mura | Si Racha district | Chonburi | - |
| Si Lom | 23 January 2566 | currently operational | Thaniya Plaza | Bang Rak | Bangkok | - |
| Fashion Island | 20 Oct 2566 | currently operational | Fashion Island | Khan Na Yao | Bangkok | - |
| Bang Kapi | 24 November 2566 | 12 May 2568 | The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi | Bang Kapi | Bangkok | Moved to Seacon Square and Fashion Island branches. |
| Central WestGate | 9 September 2568 | currently operational | Central WestGate | Bang Yai | Nonthaburi | - |
Taiwan
In 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.In 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. 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, Inari Sushi Tamaya, Kondo, and Color Food and Fitness.
In August 2023, the third Don Don Donki store in Taiwan opened in Citylink Nangang in Taipei.
In November 2023, the fourth Don Don Donki store in Taiwan opened in Tiger City in Taichung, with an area of about 1,800 square meters, which was the largest Don Don Donki in Taiwan to date.
In December 2023, the fifth 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. The opening attracted nearly 2,000 shoppers. This store contains three exclusive areas: Outdoor for outdoor products, Donki Sake for Japanese sake and Cocokawaii for kawaii items.
Malaysia
In March 2021, the first Don Don Donki store in Malaysia was opened in Lot 10 of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, branded as "Jonetz by Don Don Donki". A second store opened in December 2021 at Tropicana Gardens Mall in the Petaling Jaya district of Selangor. It was the biggest outlet in Southeast Asia, spanning 42,243 sq ft across two levels of the mall. It closed permanently in May 2023.A third store opened in Sunway Pyramid in October 2022. The fourth store that opened was in Mid Valley Megamall in January 2024. The fifth store was opened in NU Sentral in June 2024. The company also planned to open up 11 new outlets by June 2024.
Macau
Don Don Donki opened its first store in Macau in September 2021, at Fai Chi Kei. Don Don Donki also opened its store in Studio City located on the Cotai Strip in Macau in February 2024.Guam
After breaking ground in February 2020, Don Don Donki was expected to open on Guam in the village of Tamuning under the name Village of Donki in September 2021. It opened in April 2024.Mascot
The character mascot of Don Quijote is called Donpen. Introduced in 1998, he is a blue penguin wearing a Santa hat and the Katakana character To on his stomach. For the international Don Don Donki branches, the "do" is replaced with the letter D. The company has a female equivalent known as Donko, who is colored pink with a heart on her stomach.In December 2022, Don Quijote invited controversy when it announced Donpen would be replaced by an anthropomorphic depiction of the Katakana character "do" named Dojou-chan. The decision was reversed days later after an outpouring of support for the mascot on social media.
Theme song
Don Quijote's theme song is "", sung by, a former Don Quijote store employee. The song was later released as a maxi single in 1999 by.Overseas markets use English, Mandarin and Cantonese versions of the theme song with the "Don Don Donki" name.
The song has been described as "catchy but annoying" and "highly repetitious but smartly done so". These quotes could be referring to the fact that the song has been specifically designed to be catchy and stick around in the shopper's head so that it constantly reminds them of the store.