After opening its first outlet in Singapore (called Don Don Donki) this month, Japanese discount retailer Don Quijote plans to expand with even more outlets in Asia.

Founding chairman Takao Yasuda sas the group is looking to open stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.

When moving to Singapore to retire two years ago, Yasuda was surprised at the price of food ingredients and other products imported from Japan. “I realised my new mission was to lower the prices to affordable levels.”

He says the Singapore store has been so popular it has had to limit customer numbers at weekends. “We’ll increase to around 10 stores in Singapore in two to three years so customers can enjoy shopping at leisure.”