TOKYO - Don Quijote has opened the first outlet of its new grocery-focused retail format, Robin Hood, entering an increasingly competitive supermarket market where major players are racing to attract cost-conscious consumers.
The first Robin Hood store opened Thursday in Ama, Aichi Prefecture. Despite arriving one hour before opening, shoppers were already lining up outside. By 9 a.m., around 500 people had gathered.
One shopper said she had bought more than planned because prices were so low.
Robin Hood is built around two key selling points: value for money and time efficiency. Products include rice balls for 85 yen each, chicken wings for 106 yen, and boxed lunches priced in the 300-yen range.
The store also features a buffet-style section offering Sanuki udon for 214 yen per bowl. Customers can choose between eastern and western Japanese broth styles, while toppings such as green onions and wakame seaweed are free. Tempura can also be added at a discounted price.
In the fresh food section, convenience is heavily emphasized. Prepared fish dishes only need grilling, while meat dishes can be heated directly in their trays using a microwave. The company is highlighting private-label products designed to be both easy and quick to prepare.
A local mother of four said she hoped to find cheap rice and quickly headed for the deli section.
There she picked up several servings of 'Umya-bo,' a meat-wrapped rice ball on a skewer designed as a one-handed snack, including three deluxe fried versions and one standard version.
As she continued filling her cart, she said she wanted to reduce food costs as much as possible with four children to support.
After adding large quantities of bread priced at 96 yen each, plus a loaf of sandwich bread, her final bill exceeded 30,000 yen in a single shopping trip.
The launch of Robin Hood could reshape Japan’s supermarket landscape.
The operator of Don Quijote has announced plans to acquire mid-sized supermarket chain Olympic. Roughly half of Olympic’s stores are expected to be converted into Robin Hood outlets. The company plans to expand into the Tokyo metropolitan area next year and increase the chain to as many as 300 stores by 2035.
Competition is also intensifying as regional supermarket operators expand into major urban markets.
Valor, which operates 249 stores mainly in Gifu and Aichi prefectures, opened its first Kanto-region store last year. Its key attraction is a seafood section resembling a wholesale market, with more than 30 varieties of fish available at all times. The company plans to open another Kanto store this year.
Meanwhile, Gunma-based major supermarket chain Beisia has launched a new format targeting single-person households.
At the new stores, eggs can be bought individually and natto is sold by the pack. Bananas are available individually for 42 yen rather than by the bunch, while seasoned meat is sold in smaller portions.
Yasutaka Hashimoto, head of Beisia’s small-format store division, said the company was pursuing its own strategy by targeting solo dining demand.
Beisia aims to enter Tokyo for the first time by fiscal 2027 with convenience store-sized outlets.
Lawson is also entering the small supermarket race in the Tokyo area. The major convenience store chain said it plans to open L Minimart stores in the metropolitan region by August this year, offering low-cost fresh vegetables, meat and frozen foods.
Lawson President Sadanobu Takemasu said he wanted to create stores with no special features precisely because they would become as essential as air or water.
Competition in the small supermarket sector is expected to intensify further, with Aeon accelerating expansion of its My Basket chain and technology-driven Trial GO also making its first move into Tokyo.
Source: TBS
