Retail News CRM

Tag: fast retailing

  • Uniqlo targets Zara in faster fashion move

    Uniqlo targets Zara in faster fashion move

    From fast fashion to faster fashion: speed is seen as the key by Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing in its bid to outrace apparel powerhouse Zara.

    Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai says Fast Retailing plans to shorten the time it takes from design to delivery to about 13 days, roughly the same as Zara, owned by clothes retailer Inditex.

    He says the company’s new design and delivery centre in Tokyo will also help Uniqlo expand direct-to-consumer, custom-clothing sales and improve the efficiency of its same-day delivery in the city.
    “We need to be fast,” he says. “We need to deliver products customers want quickly.”

    Japan’s biggest clothing retailer aims to increase total revenue by nearly 70 per cent to ¥3 trillion (US$26 billion) in the fiscal year ending August 2021. While that may still not be enough to overtake Inditex, which reported sales of $25 billion last year, Yanai says Fast Retailing’s focus on clothes that meet consumers’ daily needs will help propel its growth.

    “Zara sells fashion rather than catering to customers’ needs,” he says. “We will sell products that are rooted in people’s day-to-day lives, and we do so based on what we hear from customers.”

    Overseas markets, notably in Asia, will grow to contribute about two-thirds of Fast Retailing’s revenue in the next four years, up from about half currently. Uniqlo will open 100 stores in China and another 100 in Southeast Asia annually, says Yanai.

    Concentration for speed

    The company’s new complex, in the Ariake district along Tokyo’s waterfront, houses more than 1000 employees, including designers and marketing teams, and also has a warehouse and delivery department. Yanai says that concentrating resources into one location will help speed processes.

    “The ability to provide anybody, anywhere, anytime with the ultimate, high-quality day-to-day clothing will set us apart,” he says. “We want to deliver products that customers want quickly. That’s why it’s Fast Retailing.”

    After revenue growth of more than 20 per cent for three straight years, Uniqlo sales took a hit in the latest fiscal year. The growth rate slowed to 6 per cent after the brand raised prices because of higher raw-material costs.

    Following the slowdown, the company did a U-turn on its pricing strategy, saying it was committed to delivering the lowest price possible. However, it had to roll back its 2021 revenue target to ¥3 trillion from ¥5 trillion.

  • Uniqlo Spain to launch in Barcelona

    Uniqlo Spain to launch in Barcelona

    Japanese casual apparel retailer Uniqlo Spain will open its first store in Barcelona this northern autumn.

    The move takes it into the home market of archrival Inditex, parent of the Zara brand, among others.

    On the Paseo de Gracia shopping streets, the store will have 1730 sqm of space across four levels and offer a full line-up of apparel under the brand’s LifeWear concept.

    “Barcelona is the perfect location to introduce our LifeWear concept – innovative, high-quality clothing that is universal in design and comfort, and made for everyone,” says parent company Fast Retailing chairman/president/CEO Tadashi Yanai.

    Since opening its first store in Japan in 1984, Uniqlo has built a network of more than 1800 outlets across 18 markets. Spain will be its sixth market in Europe following the UK (first store opened in 2001), France (2007), Russia (2010), Germany (2014) and Belgium (2015). It has 45 stores across the five markets.

  • Fast retailing bright faith

    Fast retailing bright faith

    Both consolidated revenue and profit rose for apparel retailer Fast Retailing Group in the first quarter of its latest fiscal year – the three months to November 30.

    Consolidated revenue rose 1.6 per cent year-on-year to reach ¥528.8 billion (U$4.6 billion), while profit soared 16.7 per cent to reach ¥88.5 billion.

    The gross profit margin held steady as the company continued its group-wide cost-cutting drive initiated in fiscal 2016.

    With the group recording a foreign exchange gain of ¥15.6 billion, the consolidated profit rose considerably in the quarter, with profit before taxes increasing by 34.2 per cent to ¥104.2 billion, and profit attributable to the owners of the parent expanding by 45.1 per cent to ¥69.6 billion.

    Breaking down the first-quarter performance into the three individual business segments, Uniqlo Japan increased both revenue and profit, Uniqlo International had a fall in revenue but a rise in profit, and Global Brands had a rise in revenue but a fall in profit.

    With its medium-term vision to become the world’s No. 1 apparel digital retailer, the group is focussing its efforts on expanding Uniqlo International and its low-priced GU casual-fashion brand.

    It is continuing to grow Uniqlo store numbers in each country where it has a presence, opening global flagship stores and large-format stores in major cities. It is also expanding GU, which has grown into a second-pillar brand for the group. It has opened more GU stores within Japan and has been accelerating the brand’s development and store numbers in overseas markets.

    “Another medium-term goal is to revolutionise our entire supply chain, spanning all procedures from planning to design, raw materials procurement, manufacturing and retail into a new supply chain system that can fully satisfy the needs of today’s digital era.

    “The customer-centric, information-driven supply chain is designed to support a comprehensive new digital retailing business model for the Fast Retailing Group.”

    Next month, the group will move all Uniqlo product-related and commercial activities to its central Ariake headquarters.

    Uniqlo Japan

    For the quarter, Uniqlo Japan increased revenue 3.4 per cent to ¥238.8 billion, and profit by 1.8 per cent to ¥45.6 billion. Same-store and online sales grew 2.5 per cent.

    During the period, the number of stores was reduced by six to 800 (excluding 41 franchise stores) at the end of November. Three stores shifted from being directly run to become employee franchise stores.

    Same-store sales declined in September and October because of unseasonal warm weather affecting demand for fall/winter items. Once temperatures dropped in November, same-store sales picked up.

    Uniqlo International

    Revenue eased 0.2 per cent to ¥196.5 billion for Uniqlo International, but there was a 44.6 per cent rise in profit. The fall in revenue was mainly because of the effect of the stronger yen, which pushed down yen-based sales by an average 16 per cent. However, in terms of local currencies, sales rose overall.
    Profit contributions from Uniqlo Greater China and Uniqlo Southeast Asia and Oceania were especially strong.

    Fifteen years after the first Uniqlo store outside Japan opened, the international network surpassed 1000 outlets, settling at 1009 stores at the end of November, an increase of 145.

    Global Brands

    For Global Brands, revenue rose 1.1 per cent to ¥92.7 billion while profit dropped by 22.7 per cent to ¥9.5 billion. The GU casual fashion brand grew revenue but had a profit fall after unseasonal warm weather. GU same-store sales expanded only marginally over the quarter as a whole.

    The group’s Princesse Tam.tam label in France and its J Brand premium denim label in the US continued to lose money, while fashion brands Comptoir des Cotonniers and Theory had steady profits. 

    Humanitarian aid

    In October, Fast Retailing Group decided to donate US$1 million to humanitarian aid efforts in south Sudan.

    In its “All-Product Recycling” initiative, the group delivers clothing collected at Uniqlo and GU stores to refugees and displaced persons, and in November head-office employees visited Myanmar to donate about 60,000 items of clothing. The beneficiaries were internally displaced persons in the Kachin and Rakhine states.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Fast Retailing profit rebounds

    Fast Retailing profit rebounds

    While Fast Retailing profit fell in the full year, the Japanese apparel giant says its second-half profit rebounded sharply.

    Consolidated revenue rose 6.2 per cent to JP¥1.7864 trillion (US$17.19 trillion) while its operating profit fell 22.6 per cent to ¥127.2 billion.

    Factors underlying the sharp decline in profit include a ¥11 billion foreign-exchange loss, a ¥13.8 billion J Brand impairment loss, and ¥9.3 billion for impairment losses on Uniqlo Japan and Uniqlo US stores, plus retirement and store-closure losses.

    In the second half, from March to August, profit rebounded by 94.3 per cent year-on-year, attributed to a nascent recovery in sales at Uniqlo Japan and Uniqlo International, and concerted cost-cutting efforts.

    For Uniqlo Japan the second-half profit bounced back by 38 per cent. Revenue for the year was ¥799.8 billion, up 2.5 per cent, with profit dropping 12.6 per cent to ¥102.4 billion. Same-store sales rose 4.9 per cent in the second half compared to a 1.9 per cent decline in the preceding six months.

    For Uniqlo International, full-year revenue was up 8.6 per cent to ¥655.4 billion while profit fell 13.7 per cent to ¥37.4 billion. In the second half, however, profit rebounded to 15 times the previous year’s level, mainly because of sharp profit gains in Uniqlo Greater China (encompassing China, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Southeast Asia and Oceania, and Europe.

    For the group’s global brands, revenue rose 11.3 per cent while profit fell 34 per cent for J Brand, revenue rose 32.7 per cent and profit by 34.8 per cent for GU, profit was also up for Theory, while Comptoir des Cotonniers, J Brand and Princesse Tam.tam had losses.

    During the 12 months, Uniqlo International opened a series of stores, including its first global flagship store in Southeast Asia, the Uniqlo Orchard Central store in Singapore. As of August 31, the number of Uniqlo International stores had grown by 160 to 958.

    Lees ook:

  • Fast Retailing rolling out GU shops overseas

    Fast Retailing rolling out GU shops overseas

    Japanese retail holding company Fast Retailing intends to have 1000 shops for its low-cost GU brand overseas in 10 years, up from about 10 foreign stores now.

    GU sells clothing often priced at about half that of stablemate Uniqlo.

    Fast Retailing will expand GU first in Asia, where Uniqlo has been successful, says chairman/president Tadashi Yanai.

    After increasing its GU outlets in Taiwan and China, Fast Retailing will turn its attention to South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore for growth in the next five years.

    GU’s first overseas store opened in 2013. In Japan, the brand’s low prices and sensitivity to fashion trends have helped store numbers grow to around 350.

    Meanwhile, Uniqlo now has more stores overseas than in Japan, with plans to set up around 100 shops a year in China.

    Other brands under Fast Retailing’s wing include Comptoir des Cotonniers, J Brand and Princesse Tam-Tam.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits All Runners!

    Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits All Runners!

    Was there a stampede when the new Uniqlo Global Flagship Store opened its doors at Orchard Central on its first day of business? That depends upon your definition of the world.

    The store, the latest and greatest in the brand’s 25-store empire, has captured the imagination and attention of Singapore shoppers who were ready to have their shopping experience enhanced after hearing and reading about the store’s impending debut.

    Is this a new, improved and enhanced experience for shoppers who love the brand? Probably. And that includes those have yet to indulge their shopping fantasies at any of the other Uniqlo locations.

    Fact is, Mr. Taku Morikawa, UNIQLO Southeast Asia CEO, has pinned some serious hopes on this mega-store becoming a significant influence on the Singapore shopping scene. He sees the re-imagined retail environment as a role model for future locations in markets like India and Vietnam.

    Why launch a re-imagined Uniqlo facility in Singapore? What do you think? We’re the epicentre of commercial growth in southeast Asia and a pivotal test market for savvy consumers who know a unique shopping experience when they see it. But we’re selfish!

    As runners, we want to know what’s in it for us if we divert our dollars and loyalty to the retail new kid on the block, so we’ve come up with compelling reasons why you may want to head for Orchard Central the next time you require a different kind of shopping experience.

    Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits!

    L-R: Mr. Desmond Tan, Mrs. Helen Khoo, Mr. Cheng Wai Keung, Mr. Tadashi Yanai, Mr. Taku Morikawa, Ms. Rie Aramoto, Ms. Rebecca Lim.

    Uniqlo is a sensory playground

    Sunglasses not required, but expect to be hyper-stimulated when shopping for trendy fashions amid the store’s 286 digital displays that can’t be ignored, even if you tried.

    As a matter of fact, you can tell your running buddies that you were witness to the largest number of digital screens in the worldwide Uniqlo family of stores, so even if you’re fatigued, the bold graphics and attention-getting data will keep you alert and interested as you browse and buy.

    One word of warning: if you’re tempted to strike up a conversation with any of the 350 iconic rotating mannequins you encounter on the premises, think twice! They’re part of the magic.

    Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits!

    The Uniqlo experience is unique

    Unlike most upscale retail emporiums, Uniqlo has no intention of being labeled as ordinary. Runners can choose from brands, labels and looks they can find elsewhere.

    Sure, you’ll find familiar labels but they’ll be keeping company with fresh, innovative designs and collections produced “with design-conscious shoppers in mind,” says Ms. Mavis Seow, Chief Operating Officer, Retail Business Group, Far East Organization.

    This is the place to see and be seen; as much a social hub as a fashion epicentre. You can even get in some exercise within the 29,000-foot “mammoth store” that even offers a some vertical action if you decide to cover every inch of all three floors filled with merchandise.

    By the way, you won’t be able to escape checking your form as you shop; this super-store is loaded with floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

    Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits!

    A store for all ages and stages of life

    Because Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retailing, has set a high bar for the type of merchandise that fills this Uniqlo location, you’re going to run into some of the latest trends on the international apparel market.

    The Singapore flagship store has something for everyone, so if you do the family shopping and you’re responsible for everything from school clothing for the kids to gifts for running buddies, this could become your new retail home or just the place you go for plenty of shopping therapy.

    Speciality products just for children feature original art, and you can even experience some hometown pride when strolling the second-floor children’s boutique where the work of Singapore’s whimsical and popular illustrator, Michael Ng, is on display.

    Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits!

    Find everything you need and want

    Given Uniqlo’s promise to make sure shoppers are never bored by choices they are offered when perusing three floors of merchandise, you may be surprised to learn that there’s a special emphasis on exclusivity.

    For example, French designer Ines de la Fressange’s collection could get a fashion-forward runner’s pulse rate up and Uniqlo’s proprietary LifeWear brand is a runner’s dream. Garments are fashioned of innovative fabrics that are light, breathable and practical.

    Uniqlo: The Shopping Experience of the Future Awaits!

    Find AIRism inner and outerwear on shelves that include t-shirts and tank-tops that repel bacterial and odor. Even Uniqlo jeans are runner-friendly because the denim is 20-percent lighter than regular-grade denim, so sliding on a pair for a post-marathon party consumes less time than it takes to say, “Who’s going to Uniqlo with me to check out this one-of-a-kind shopping experience?”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo overseas push pays off for Fast Retailing

    Uniqlo overseas push pays off for Fast Retailing

    Fast Retailing raised its full-year earnings forecasts after sales at its Uniqlo casual-wear stores in China and South Korea grew more strongly than expected during the first half of the financial year, showing its overseas expansion is bearing fruit.

    Overseas growth is key to the Japanese firm’s goal of becoming the world’s top apparel retailer by 2020 ahead of Zara owner Inditex, Hennes & Mauritz and Gap.

    Chief executive Tadashi Yanai said Fast Retailing would have more Uniqlo outlets overseas than in Japan by this autumn, with openings in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to continue at break-neck pace.

    “Maybe in about five years, we’ll have 1,000 stores [in China],” he said, compared with 415 at the end of February. “Eventually we want to have about 3,000 stores [there].”

    Uniqlo, known for its HeatTech fabric technology and rainbow-coloured basics, now has close to 1,600 stores globally, with about 46 per cent of those outside Japan.

    Fast Retailing said it now expected operating profit of 200 billion yen for the financial year to August, up from its previous estimate of 180 billion yen. The average forecast of 22 analysts was for 197.25 billion yen.

    Asia’s biggest apparel retailer also bumped up its revenue forecast to 1.65 trillion yen from 1.6 trillion yen and its net profit estimate to 120 billion yen from 100 billion yen.

    Overseas sales at Uniqlo jumped 49 per cent in the first half from a year earlier, led by China and Korea, although the United States remained a weak spot. The firm did not break out sales results by country, only saying whether they met its targets.

    In Japan, sales rose 12 per cent during the period as shoppers snapped up items like its ultra-light down jackets and extra-fine merino sweaters.

    Fast Retailing also got a boost from the yen’s depreciation, booking a 13.5 billion yen foreign-exchange gain for the six-month period.

    But the company also warned it was facing rising import costs from the weaker yen. As a result, it will raise prices by 10 per cent on average for roughly a fifth of its products in the next autumn/winter season at Uniqlo Japan.

    Shares in Fast Retailing have gained 10 per cent in the year to date, while the Topix Index is up 13 per cent.

    Separately, Britain’s Co-operative Group, the supermarkets-to-funerals operator that almost collapsed in 2013, said it had been rescued by selling assets including its pharmacies and could now focus on rebuilding.

    Co-operative reported pre-tax profit of £124 million for the year to January 3, against a loss of £255 million a year earlier, on revenue of £9.4 billion, helped by disposals.

    The mutually owned group said it had emerged from the rescue phase of a three-year turnaround as a slimmer business focused on its food stores, funerals, insurance and legal services. It has cut net debt to £808 million from £1.4 billion.

    Chief executive Richard Pennycook said the hard work of rebuilding the group was under way after the completion of its rescue plan.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo US quietly closing stores

    Uniqlo US quietly closing stores

    Tokyo-based fast-fashion brand Uniqlo US, a 1700-store global chain with 43 US outlets, has been retrenching amid slowing sales.

    It has quietly closed five stores in the US since January, all in suburban shopping malls.

    “The US is very important to the company,” says spokesman Aldo Liguori. “We are focussing on large cities where we can open large stores.”

    As well as urban markets, Uniqlo is beefing up its customer service, says Liguori.

    Chief executive Tadashi Yanai last year said brand penetration in big cities such as New York, San Francisco and Chicago was good, “but not in the suburbs”.

    Owned by Fast Retailing, which has seven clothing brands, Uniqlo said last year that it would be scaling back its US expansion after opening 17 stores in 2014. It opened four stores last year, and has announced that three stores will be opened this year.

    Meanwhile, the brand may face competition from Irish-based discounter Primark, which is expanding in the US.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo Indonesian batik collection for good cause

    Uniqlo Indonesian batik collection for good cause

    Japanese apparel company Uniqlo has launched a special collection of items featuring traditional motifs of Indonesian batik, a heritage included on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity in 2009.

    As part of a second program in the Uniqlo Factory Worker Empowerment Project, a portion of sales is be allocated toward helping with education for employees working in parent company Fast Retailing‘s affiliated factories in Indonesia. The special collection is available at five stores in Japan and on Uniqlo’s website.

    The batik patterns are part of Uniqlo’s LifeWear concept of offering clothes for a better life for everyone, every day. The collection of eight items includes men’s and women’s shirts as well as summer dresses. The batik patterns are original motifs jointly developed by Uniqlo and a designer recommended by the Indonesian Batik Foundation.

    The empowerment project was introduced last year, the first supporting female workers in sewing factories in Bangladesh through a women’s line featuring traditional Bangladesh clothing motifs. This sold in 14 markets worldwide, with a portion of sales being used for educational programs in such areas as nutrition, hygiene and health management.

    The education project is expected to run for about three years, and reach around 12,000 people.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo sales bounce back

    Uniqlo sales bounce back

    Uniqlo sales have bounced back from decline, giving parent Fast Retailing a much-needed round of good news for May.

    Same-store Uniqlo sales in Japan rose 5.9 per cent year-on-year, even though customer traffic fell 3.6 per cent. The average purchase increased by 9.9 per cent to make up for the customer shortfall.

    Total sales including online increased by 7.6 per cent.

    The figures show only trading in Uniqlo’s Japan division.

    Analyst Masafumi Shoda of Nomura Securities said in a research note that Fast Retailing’s sales decline appeared to have bottomed.

    “While jogger pants remained strong, trendy merchandise such as women’s t-blouses and embroidered t-shirts also emerged as drivers. Another contributing factor was the successful expansion of the mainstay Airism line to bottoms. Even factoring out the boost from the customer appreciation sale at the end of the month, signs are beginning to emerge that the company is successfully asserting leadership on both price and fashion.”

    But Shoda said profitability will be likely to decline both overseas and in Japan in the March to May period, due to retooling, “but we think it will improve in June to August thanks in part to the likelihood of a rebound from prior-year results dampened by unseasonable weather”.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo price-rise tactic fails

    Uniqlo price-rise tactic fails

    A tactic to move to high prices over the past year has failed for Japanese casualwear chain Uniqlo, admits the chairman of its parent company, Fast Retailing.

    Japan’s richest person, billionaire Tadashi Yanai says the company is considering how to sell value-added products for the lowest possible price.

    “The world is flooded with clothes without added value,” he said at a fashion event in Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district featuring Uniqlo’s latest seasonal styles.

    Japanese consumers are being cautious as the country’s financial situation tightens, and Fast Retailing has seen its overseas earnings hit by a stronger yen, compounded by China’s slowdown and losses in the US. Uniqlo lost some of its budget-minded customers in Japan after raising prices last year.

    Fast Retailing has cut back its operating profit forecast last month to 120 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for the year ending August, down 33 per cent from its estimate in January.

    In April, Uniqlo reported that its first-half year profits had plunged.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo Philippines to open six new stores

    Uniqlo Philippines to open six new stores

    Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo is opening six stores in the Philippines by June 2016.

    “We are thrilled to announce that Uniqlo will open four new stores in Luzon by May and two new stores in the Visayas by June, as we continue to bring high-quality and innovative clothing to Filipinos,” said Katsumi Kubota, COO of Uniqlo Philippines.

    The Luzon branches of Uniqlo Philippines will be in UP Town Center in Quezon City; Solenad 3 in Nuvali, Laguna; Evia Center Vista City in Daang Hari Rd, Cavite City; and SM City Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija.

    The Visayas stores will be in Iloilo City and Bacolod City, adding to the existing outlets in SM City Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu.

    Uniqlo is a brand of Japanese global retail holding company Fast Retailing, which designs, manufactures and sells clothing under seven main brands: Uniqlo, GU, Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princessetam.tam and Theory. It has global sales of about US$13.88 billion.

    There are more than 1700 Uniqlo stores in 17 markets, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo profit drops

    Uniqlo profit drops

    Uniqlo profit has plummeted in the Japanese fast fashion chain’s first half year.

    Parent Fast Retailing has revealed a 33.8 per cent decline in year-on-year surplus, despite a 6.5 per cent increase in sales from September 2015 to February 2016.

    Consolidated revenue reached JP¥1.0116 trillion (US$9.385 billion) and profit ¥99.3 billion (US$1.535 billion).

    While Global Brands reported a rise in both revenue and profit, Uniqlo Japan reported declines in both revenue and profit, and Uniqlo International reported a rise in revenue but a decline in profit.

    The company blamed the Japanese decline on poor sales of winter ranges and lower gross margin, with same-store sales down 1.9 per cent.

    “Subsequent stronger discounting in January and February contributed to a 3.5 per cent fall in the first-half gross margin.

    Uniqlo profit was down on weaker sales in Greater China, South Korea and the US in the company’s international division. However sales and profit rose in Southeast Asia, Oceania and Europe.

    In the Global Brands division, revenue and profit both rose on strong sales of GU ranges. “GU’s widely advertised campaign items such as knitwear and trendy bottoms such as wide pants and jogger pants all generated strong sales, fueling double-digit growth in same-store sales,” Fast Retailing reported.

    The company is predicting a better second half but has revised its earnings forecast to a 7 per cent rise in revenue and a 27 per cent decline in operating profit.

  • Uniqlo strengthens Toray partnership

    Uniqlo strengthens Toray partnership

    The partnership which pioneered Heattech and Airism garments have forged a new expanded relationship they say will create “a new industry for the future”.

    Fast Retailing’s flagship Uniqlo and Toray Industries first joined hands 10 years ago aimed at developing technological solutions to make clothing functional rather than just practical – and provide the Japanese fashion giant with a point of difference over fast fashion rivals.

    Uniqlo’s signature Airism garments are meant to be worn beneath any ensemble to keep you cool and dry, making heat and humidity more bearable with properties such as absorbency, breathability and odour control. Heattech garments come with features designed to make it the most comfortable innerwear, including sweat-wicking, quick-drying, anti-odour and anti-static features.

    The most recent seasonal Heattech lines contain camellia oil moisturiser to keep the wearer’s skin soft and supple in dry weather.

    In the new five year third stage of their working partnership, Uniqlo and Toray will work together to:

    Accelerate globalisation and digitalisation to create a new industry by:

    • Realising an end-to-end business model by utilising the Internet of Things (IoT).
    • Further reducing production lead time.
    • Further increasing globalisation of production sites and locations.
    • Optimising production in each location.
    • Expanding production sites to support business growth in Greater China (China, Hong Kong and Taiwan).

    Maximise LifeWear that is made for all by:

    • Improving comfort and functionality of all current products.
    • Adding value to products by conducting research and development.
    • Developing new sportswear to enhance daily lives.
    Lees ook:

  • Prolonged summer takes heat out of Uniqlo sales

    Prolonged summer takes heat out of Uniqlo sales

    Uniqlo parent, Japanese giant Fast Retailing, says its total sales dropped 8.1 per cent in November.

    “Same-store sales dipped year on year in November after unusually hot weather in mid-month stifled sales of winter clothing necessities,” the company said in a  brief trading statement which gave only percentages and not total sales data.

    The number of Uniqlo stores operating outside Japan exceeded the number of domestic stores last month – by 864 to 844.

    In November, same-store sales decreased by 8.9 per cent year on year while sales at its own-run stores (excluding franchises) decreased by 9.9 per cent. Total sales, including online, thus fell by 8.1 per cent.

    Lees ook: