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The story
All stores of the supermarket chain “Olympic” will reportedly be converted, starting in December, into Don Quijote’s new “Robin Hood” format and other new store types. According to a report by HuffPost Japan, the new format’s concept is “like a supermarket, but not a supermarket.” On the 5channel Business News+ thread, people who used to shop at Olympic shared memories of the chain one after another, along with worries about what would happen to their local branches. Some pointed out that the logo — which they’d always assumed was a fox — is actually a rabbit, while others questioned the trademark relationship with the sporting “Olympics,” making this more than just a simple story about store closures.
All stores under the “Olympic” supermarket group will gradually be reborn starting in December as Don Quijote’s new format store “Robin Hood” and others. What exactly is “Robin Hood,” the store whose concept is “like a supermarket, but not a supermarket”?
HuffPost Japan Editorial Team
September 7, 2026, 11:42 AM JST
Source: huffingtonpost.jp / Original article here
What people said
I think they had prior-use rights since they held the name before the IOC started clamping down on the trademark.
I'm pretty sure the reason the IOC got serious about IP enforcement was actually because of Konami.
now it's my beloved Robin Hood.
When I lived in Ota Ward I used to shop at the Nagahara and Hommabata stores.
Just like convenience stores, it's turning into nothing but the same chains everywhere.
Apparently the Hommabata store is becoming a supermarket called Valor this fall, not Don Quijote.
They've carved out separate niches — the customer bases are different too.
The stores were always huge with so few customers, I wondered if they'd be okay.
Nobody could probably launch a new business under that name today.
I believe it's also possible to just keep paying the registration fee without ever actually using the trademark.
It's about 4km from the Don Quijote that got rebuilt after evicting the old tenant, but going by the article it doesn't look like this one's closing.
that's the Olympics for me.
I wonder what'll happen to that mysterious staircase nobody uses anymore.
It'll become a tourist spot as a 'Thomasson' (slang for a pointless, unused architectural leftover).
There were about two of those within my area, but I remember them disappearing.
Not that I feel anything special about it though lol
When the Kameido store got absorbed into Olympic, I was shocked at how much the service dropped.
There used to be about 3 registers running; now there's just one, and it looks bored half the time.
Whenever I go it's empty, no customers at all.
Olympic's management just doesn't respect its customers.
Brings back memories.
I'm back living with my parents now, and there are 2 Olympic stores in my hometown — I wonder if they'll turn into Don Quijote too?
Though I haven't been in almost 3 years since they cut back on the discounted deli items during markdown time…
That's a problem for me…
And there are already two Don Quijotes nearby too…
Don Quijote's got some serious momentum.
The one by the station is becoming Robin Hood too, huh — turns out it's a rabbit, not a fox.
But who'd have guessed that place would turn into a 'Donkey' (playful mangling of 'Donki,' Don Quijote's nickname).
Background and key points of this discussion
Since Olympic came under the umbrella of PPIH (Pan Pacific International Holdings), the operator of Don Quijote, its existing stores have gradually been converted to other formats over time — this latest announcement marks the completion of that process. On the thread, users expressed surprise at the chain giving up the “Olympic” name, along with concerns about a possible trademark conflict with the (IOC) Olympics, though the “Olympic” supermarket name itself is not actually the subject of any legal dispute over the Olympic trademark — that’s purely speculation on posters’ part. Some commenters also brought up the distinction from Gyomu Super (a wholesale-style chain), and pointed to other examples like Nagasakiya and Uny being absorbed into major discount chains in similar fashion, framing this as part of a broader wave of consolidation in Japan’s supermarket industry. Firsthand accounts of fewer checkout registers after such mergers also surfaced, reflecting underlying anxiety about service quality following consolidation.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Business News+) thread “Long-Running Supermarket ‘Olympic’ to Disappear. Converting to Don Quijote’s New ‘Robin Hood’ Format, with That Actor’s Rabbit Costume Also Becoming a Topic.”
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