Japanese discount retailer Daiso coming to Hawaii

Daiso, one of Japan’s most popular discount retailers, is opening its first Hawaii store in mid- December at the Pearl City Shopping Center.

HouseMart, parent company of Ben Franklin Crafts and Ace Hardware, has an exclusive licensing agreement to open Daiso, which has more than 3,200 stores in Japan and over 5,200 stores worldwide.

The company sells everything from beauty products and household goods to Japanese snacks and stationery. While known as the “Japanese dollar store,” Daiso products are generally $1.50 to $3 on the mainland, where it has more than 70 stores. The store said it is able to keep prices down through high-volume sales that are in the millions for a single product.

“With continued increases in cost of living, Daiso’s mission is to help consumers maintain a high standard of living without spending more,” the company said.

Honolulu-based HouseMart, a family- owned business that operates six Ben Franklin Crafts stores and 24 Ace Hardware stores in Hawaii and on the mainland, is hiring employees for the 5,000-square-foot store at Pearl City Shopping Center, currently anchored by Ben Franklin Crafts, Foodland Super Market and Longs Drugs. Daiso will move into the space previously occupied by Sanki, which closed June 30.

“Hawaii has close ties with Japan and many of our residents have a familiarity and preference for Japanese products. We are thrilled to introduce Daiso to local residents as we prepare to open our first Hawaii location,” said Milton Fujii, director of imports for HouseMart, in a news release.

Jobseekers can apply at hmstores.com.