Daiso, Japan's largest 100-yen store, is targeting Texas in a big way: 20 to 24 new stores opening in Houston and Dallas alone in the next 18 months. NewQuest's Heather Nguyen and John Nguyen are leading the brand's Texas growth and say eight sites are already under negotiation across the two metros. Overall, Daiso hopes to open 50 Texas locations before turning to an East Coast expansion—Daiso California VP Yoshihide Murata says the company chose Texas because it's growing economically and the people are especially friendly. Pictured: This weekend, the second Dallas-area Daiso opened in Irving. The first was in Carrollton, and the first Houston store will open in Q1.

Heather and John are targeting 10k to 12k SF spaces in grocery-anchored centers with strong national lineups; Daiso president Masayoshi Naito and Yoshihide hand-pick each location. The initial Houston and Dallas locations are in neighborhoods with large Asian communities. Daiso is a powerhouse in Japan, with 2,800 stores and 60% of the global 100-yen market. Although it has 860 locations in 26 countries, it's been disciplined in its US rollout. The first American store opened in '05 in Seattle. There are now six in Washington and 41 in California, but this is the first move outside of those states. Daiso develops its own products, adding 1,000 new products to its shelves each month.