Don Quijote ドン・キホーテ

Don Quijote traces back to 1980, when Takao Yasuda opened a discount retail shop called Just Co. in Suginami, Tokyo. According to the company's own account, after his original small store was burglarized he decided to keep it open later into the night to boost security through greater customer traffic. The business later shifted toward wholesale before opening its first store under the 'Don Quijote' name in Fuchu, Tokyo, in 1989, combining steep discount pricing with very late-night or 24-hour operating hours.

Don Quijote became known for its 'compressed display' style — narrow aisles stacked floor-to-ceiling with merchandise in a deliberately cluttered, treasure-hunt layout — and for staying open through the night, both unusual in Japanese retail at the time. The chain later expanded overseas under the Don Don Donki name, with its first store outside Japan opening in Singapore in 2017, followed by Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. As the group diversified beyond the Don Quijote brand, its parent company was renamed Pan Pacific International Holdings in 2019.