Don Quijote owner opens discount grocer as Japan inflation bites
Don Quijote parent Pan Pacific International Holdings is bringing its discount model to groceries, opening the first store in a new food-focused chain as inflation squeezes Japanese households.The Robin Hood brand — whose name is a nod to the English folk hero who aided the poor — underscores the company’s focus on easing the burden of rising living costs. Its first outlet will open Friday in Aichi Prefecture, about a three-hour drive from Tokyo, offering rice balls from ¥85 ($0.53) and packs of 41 sausages for ¥735, including tax.Quirky discount chain Don Quijote, known as Don Don Donki overseas, is one of Japan’s largest retail empires, popular with tourists and a broad base of domestic shoppers. Robin Hood’s first store is aimed primarily at local consumers, who accounted for more than 80% of Pan Pacific’s revenue in fiscal 2025. With food and daily necessities becoming more expensive, the company is betting that fast, cheap and convenient offerings will drive traffic.
