Australians had not heard of a retail format such as Kmart before, which in turn generated a very large amount of interest.
The operating cost is comparatively less than other retail formats.
He was then exposed to many western retail formats which inspired him to get into the retail market himself.
While retail formats were not easily transferable, the company's 'control label' products proved successful from one store format and part of the country to another.
However, if other retail formats are included, Tesco is larger with some 704 stores nationwide.
The company does business in the following retail formats: general merchandise stores, apparel stores.
In Japan, the downloadable version is available for a slightly smaller price than the retail format.
Another dedicated retail format launched in 2006 is Furniture Bazaar.
The redesign saw the introduction of a new retail format called the "store within a store."
Finding the right retail format for the combined company has also proved tricky.