Japanese electronics market leader Yamada Denki has announced plans to open smaller stores in thinly populated rural areas in a bid to speed up expansion away from competitive urban centres.

The retailer intends to open 10 such stores by early next year. They will have a sales area of about half that of a typical store, which is about 10,000 sq ft. Yamada Denki aims to open about 50 such stores
a year annually from 2011.