Japanese discount store Daiso (ダイソー) has been much loved by locals since its arrival in Malaysia. After all, it is convenient and fairly affordable. Unfortunately, the man behind it, Mr. Hirotake Yano (矢野 博丈), reportedly passed away recently at the age of 80.
Mr. Hirotake created quite the legacy when his business venture took off with much acclaim and successfully benefited many with his affordable wares. As such, news of his passing came as a shock to many, leaving more mourning the loss of Daiso’s founder.
The popular discount store sprouted from Mr. Hirotake’s early business days in 1972 of hawking goods from the back of a truck. Prior to that, he had been running his father-in-law’s fishery until it went bankrupt. At the time, Mr. Hirotake opted to charge his wares at a flat rate of 100 yen (~RM3.19) to save time on attaching price tags to his wares.
He eventually set up a street vending shop, later named Daiso, meaning “creating something big” which still sold all its items for 100 yen. As it coincided with Japan’s economy crisis in the 1990s, Daiso soon garnered great success, eventually becoming a pioneer business model worldwide. Notably enough, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index states Mr. Hirotake had a net worth of US$1.9 billion (~RM9.1 billion).
According to a company statement released on 19th February, Mr. Hirotake passed away in Hiroshima on 12th February at the age of 80 due to heart failure. A private funeral was held for him by close family members and reportedly, he will be commemorated at a gathering in the near future.
Daiso currently has over 4000 stores in Japan and nearly 1000 shops around the world, with outlets in Asia, North America and in the Middle East. With that said, there’s certainly no denying the legacy the billionaire has left behind.
We sincerely hope Mr. Hirotake rests in peace. Our hearts and prayers also go out to Mr. Hirotake Yano’s family and friends as we hope they find peace in his passing.
Sources: China Press, BBC, Daiso
