Daiso

Japanese multinational variety store chain

Daiso Industries Co., Ltd.

A Daiso store in Japan

Native name

| 株式会社大創産業

Romanized name

| Daiso Sangyo
Formerly| Yano Shoten
Company type| Private
Industry| Variety store
Founded| December 1977 (1977-12) in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan
Founder| Hirotake Yano
Headquarters|

Higashi Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima, Japan

Number of locations

| 3,620 domestic; 1,900 overseas[1]

Area served

| Asia, Oceania, North America, Central America, Brazil, Africa[2]

Key people

| Hirotake Yano (President)
Website| daiso-sangyo.co.jp (Japan) daisous.com (United States)

Daiso Industries Co., Ltd. (株式会社大創産業, Kabushiki gaisha Daisōsangyō, branded in katakana as ダイソー) is a large franchise of 100-yen shops founded in Japan. Its headquarters are in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture. Daiso has a range of over 100,000 products, many made in China or Japan,[3] focusing on household items such as kitchenware and cleaning products. Daiso has locations in 25 countries and regions worldwide.

## History

[edit]

Daiso was originally opened as a street vending shop with 100-yen products, known as “Yano Shoten", by Hirotake Yano in 1972. He later founded Daiso in 1977.[4]

## Business method

[edit]

Daiso categorizes all of its own branded items using the morpheme za (ザ), the Japanese representation of the English word "the", plus a category. For example, za hanabi (ザ・花火) is the category for fireworks, and za purasuchikku (ザ・プラスチック) is the category for plastic items such as plastic buckets and trays.

In 2004, Daiso started selling items priced at multiples of 100 yen, such as 200, 300, 400 and 500 yen.[4]

## Locations

[edit]

Daiso has 3,620 stores in Japan, and nearly 2,300 stores overseas in Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Laos, Kuwait, Macau, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, and Vietnam.[5][6][7]

Numbers of Daiso stores as of 2024:[8]

Asia

* Japan: 3,620
* South Korea: 1,150
* Thailand: 138[9]
* Philippines: 100
* Taiwan: 87
* China: 45
* Malaysia: 39
* Hong Kong: 34 (Retail name is Living Plaza by AEON, 3 DAISO)
* Singapore: 27
* Indonesia: 12
* Macau: 12
* Myanmar: 5
* Vietnam: 5*
* Mongolia: 4
* Cambodia: 3
* Laos: 2
* India: 2
* Brunei: 1

Middle East[10]

* Bahrain: 2
* Israel: 3[7]
* Kuwait: 4
* Oman: 1
* Qatar: 5
* Saudi Arabia: 6
* United Arab Emirates: 48

Americas

* United States: 88[11]
* Brazil: 50[12]
* Mexico: 11
* Canada: 4

Oceania

* Australia: 41
* New Zealand: 4[13]

Africa

* Mauritius: 2

|

### Australia

[edit]

The first Daiso store opened up in Abbotsford, Victoria in 2010, selling thousands of items at a flat rate of $2.80.[14] Since then it has expanded to 13 stores in New South Wales, 14 in Queensland, three in South Australia, 12 in Victoria and 2 in Perth (at Westfield Carousel and Lakeside Joondalup). The stores range from 209 m2 (2,250 sq ft) to 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft) (Midtown Plaza, Melbourne store), which is currently the largest in Australia. Almost every item is AUD $3.30, or US$2.33, except for a small range of products (5% of total range) that is sold at varying prices from $3 to $15.

### Bahrain

[edit]

Daiso's main store in Bahrain is located at Dasman Center, Manama, and spans two floors. It has been in operation since 2005. Daiso also has a smaller outlet at Ramli Mall, A'ali. As of 2007, most products cost BHD 0.600, or US$1.58.[15]

### Brunei

[edit]

Daiso's first location in the sultanate opened on 1 July 2024 at Rimba Point, a shopping centre in Kampong Rimba.[16][17]

### Canada

[edit]

Daiso store on Granville Street in Vancouver, British Columbia

Daiso opened its first corporate Canadian store on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia in April 2021, with plans to expand nationally.[18] With the opening of its Surrey location in March 2023, there are now four stores within Canada.[19]

A franchise store, owned by Fairchild Group, was operated in Richmond, British Columbia from 2003 to 2019, when it was rebranded under Fairchild's Oomomo banner. Oomomo has continued to sell some Daiso products, but this supply will be discontinued as Daiso expands.[18]

### Cambodia

[edit]

There are three Daiso Japan locations in Cambodia. All products are priced at about US$1.90.[20] As of 2018, its new name in Cambodia is ”DAISO JAPAN Life Coordinates Store”.

### Malaysia

[edit]

Daiso in Malaysia

All products are priced at RM 5.90, or US$1.43 GST-inclusive. The price increase from RM 5.30 to the current price was effective from March 1, 2017.[21] The price was temporarily reduced to RM 5.57 when GST was removed in Malaysia, but 8t returned to RM 5.90 when SST (Sales and Services Tax) became effective on September 1, 2018.[22]

### Singapore

[edit]

There are 27 Daiso stores in Singapore, together with 11 Threeppy stores and one Standard Products store. Minimum pricing is $2.16, followed by 14 tiered increments. The first and largest flagship Daiso store is located at IMM.

### South Korea

[edit]

Daiso Korea owns 1,150 stores across the country,[23] established in 1992 as the Daiso-Asung Corporation. Working in cooperation with Daiso Japan from 2001–2011, the chain has proliferated over the last ten years using a low cost / high quality strategy. Each store stocks over 30,000 items; most are under 1,000 won, or 0.87. Daiso also has an online shopping mall that allows people to purchase the same items at home.[24]

In 2011 and 2014, Daiso Korea announced that they were no longer part of Daiso Japan, claiming that Daiso Japan was trying to promote Liancourt Rocks as part of Japan. Daiso Korea confirmed that they were not selling the products Daiso Japan was selling and that they were acting as a different company.[25]

Daiso - South Korea

Daiso Korea has a unique logo compared to the rest of the Daiso Corporation. The modified logo is used inside the country to rebrand itself as a more modern company and to show its break-off from Daiso Japan.[26] In December 2023, Daiso Korea announced that it had bought back its shares from Daiso Japan (34.21% stake reportedly worth around 500 billion won), effectively making it fully Korean-owned.[27][28][29]

### United States

[edit]

Daiso in San Gabriel, California

On October 2, 2005, the first Daiso store in the United States opened at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, near Seattle, Washington. This store was much smaller at only 442 square meters (approx. 4,750 square feet), and items were originally priced at $1, $1.50, and $2 (all USD).[30] The inventory was expanded to include packaged food and items priced up to $8, though most items remained at the $1.50 minimum until a 25-cent increase in 2022.[31][32] The Alderwood store was moved to a new mall location in 2015 and off-site in 2017.[31][33]

As of 2023[update], there are 90 stores in the continental United States, operated by Daiso US.[34] The stores are in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington. The largest U.S. Daiso is ln Union City, California, with 17,760 square feet (1,650 m2) of floor space; it opened on August 8, 2007.

There are four Daiso stores in Hawaii operated by Daiso Hawaii. On December 12, 2018, Daiso Japan opened its first store in Honolulu, Hawaii, and opened two others on March 14, 2019 and January 20, 2022.[35]

On March 8, 2019, Daiso Japan opened its first branch on the U.S. East Coast in Queens, New York.[36]

On December 29, 2021, Daiso opened its first store in Las Vegas, Nevada.[37]

## Controversies

[edit]

In June 2017 Daiso was forced by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to recall 165 products in Australia. These included toys which could pose a choking hazard or injury and beauty products with unknown ingredients.[38]

In June 2022, Crocs filed a lawsuit against Daiso, accusing them of selling foam clogs that allegedly resembled theirs and violating copyright trademarks.[39]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Corporate Profile". Daiso Global. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
2. ^ "Locations". Daiso Global. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
3. ^ Reitman, Valerie. "Japanese Retailer Bucks a Trend by Selling Cheap." Los Angeles Times, 8 January 2000. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
4. ^ a b "Corporate Vision". Daiso Global. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
5. ^ "Locations". Daiso Global. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
6. ^ "Locations". Daiso Global Profile. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
7. ^ a b "Japan's Daiso to open 3 stores in Israel next month". Globes. Globes. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
8. ^ "Daiso Store Locator". daiso.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2014-12-24.
9. ^ "Daiso Store Locator Thailand". Daiso Thailand. Archived from the original on 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
10. ^ "Store Locator". daisome.com.
11. ^ "List of Store Locations". Archived from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
12. ^ "Nossas Lojas" [Our Stores]. Daiso Japan Brasil (in Portuguese). Daiso Brasil Comércio e Importação Ltda. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
13. ^ "DAISO Japan - New Zealand". Retrieved 20 October 2021.
14. ^ Quist, Jackie (October 26, 2010). "Daiso the discount store". Today Tonight. Archived from the original on January 25, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
15. ^ Tanaka, Miya (2007-06-09). "Daiso 100-yen-style shops start to blossom in Mideast". Japan Times. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
16. ^ "DAISO opens its first store in Brunei | Announcement". Daiso. 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
17. ^ "Daiso Japan enters Brunei market » Borneo Bulletin Online". Daiso Japan enters Brunei market. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
18. ^ a b Patterson, Craig (April 11, 2021). "Japanese Retailer Daiso Expands into Canada with 1st Store". Retail Insider. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
19. ^ "Daiso Japan to Open Fourth Canada Store in Surrey". WebWire. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
20. ^ "Daiso Cambodia". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
21. ^ "DAISO (by AEON)". www.aeonretail.com.my.
22. ^ "SST (by S & F Consulting Firm)". www.sfconsultingbd.com.
23. ^ "Get into "다이소 전국 매장찾기"". Archived from the original on 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
24. ^ "Shop Brand". Archived from the original on 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
25. ^ "한국 다이소아성산업 다케시마 후원과 무관". Archived from the original on 2014-10-24.
26. ^ "로고 자료실 다이소".
27. ^ No, Kyung-min (2023-12-13). "Local retail giant Daiso becomes fully Korean-owned". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
28. ^ "Daiso's Korean business unit severs association with Japan". koreatimes. 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
29. ^ "Daiso becomes a fully Korean company". english.khan.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-13.
30. ^ Millares Bolt, Kristen (October 28, 2005). "Retail Notebook: Daiso opens 1st U.S. store". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
31. ^ a b Brown, Andrea (January 31, 2017). "Daiso store is wonderland of Japanese bargains". The Everett Herald. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
32. ^ "Daiso Price Increase". Daiso US. March 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
33. ^ "Daiso Japan to hold grand opening of its new Lynnwood store". The Everett Herald. March 13, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
34. ^ Robinson, Kimi (March 3, 2023). "Arizona's 1st Daiso: Here's a guide to shopping at the popular Japanese store". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
35. ^ Lee, Diane S. W. (May 12, 2022). "Discount chain Daiso to open 1st neighbor island store in Hilo". Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
36. ^ "Daiso Japan to Open First East Coast Store in Flushing New York". Webwire. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
37. ^ "Daiso opens doors to 1st Nevada store, much to delight of shoppers". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 29, 2021.
38. ^ "More than 160 Daiso products recalled - 9News". www.9news.com.au. 22 June 2017.
39. ^ Ciment, Shoshy (2022-06-16). "Crocs Accuses Daiso of Selling Knock-Offs of Its Classic Clogs". Footwear News. Retrieved 2022-09-03.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daiso.

* v
* t
* e

Variety stores

Asia|

* 100-yen shop (Japan and East Asia)
* Daiso (East and Southeast Asia)
* Living Plaza by Aeon (Hong Kong)
* Watashi to Seikatsu (Hong Kong)
* Loft (Japan)
* Hands (Japan et al.)
* Eslite Spectrum (Taiwan et al.)

Europe|

| Mainland|

* Action (Netherlands)
* Dealz (Ireland, Poland, Spain)
* El Corte Inglés (Spain)
* EuroGiant (Ireland)
* Flying Tiger Copenhagen (Denmark)
* føtex (Denmark)
* HEMA (Netherlands)
* Monoprix (France)
* Normal (Denmark)
* UPIM (Italy)
* Karstadt (Germany)
* Tokmanni (Finland)
* Zeeman (Netherlands)

|

United
Kingdom|

* B&M
* Bargain Buys
* Boyes
* Card Factory
* Home Bargains
* OneBeyond
* The Original Factory Shop
* The Range (retailer)
* The Works (retailer)
* Poundland
* Poundstretcher
* QD stores
* Quality Save
* Savers (UK retailer)
* Wilko
* WHSmith
* Yorkshire Trading Company

North
America|

| Canada|

* A Buck or Two
* Dollar Tree Canada
* Dollarama
* Fields
* Giant Tiger
* Great Canadian Dollar Store
* Hart Stores
* Red Apple and The Bargain! Shop
* Rossy
* Your Dollar Store with More

|

Mexico|

* Casa Ley
* Waldo's Dollar Mart

United
States|

* 99 Cents Only Stores
* ABC Stores
* Big Lots
* Daiso (also Canada)
* Dollar General
* Dollar Tree
* Family Dollar
* Five Below
* Ollie's Bargain Outlet
* Ocean State Job Lot

Oceania|

* Daiso (Australia)
* The Reject Shop (Australia)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Japan

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template