Retail News CRM

Tag: uniqlo

  • Uniqlo Malaysia expands footprint

    Uniqlo Malaysia expands footprint

    After making its first foray into East Malaysia by opening two  stores in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and one in Kuching, Sarawak, Uniqlo Malaysia is opening its first Perak store in the newly opened Aeon Mall Ipoh Klebang.

    This will be Uniqlo’s 31st store in Malaysia as the company increases its reach to make its high quality and affordable apparels more accessible to Malaysians.

    Uniqlo Perak Malaysia 1

    “As we further increase our reach to Malaysians, we want to be a brand that is present in various aspects of our customers’ daily lives. Be it just lounging at home or engaging in sports activities, we want to be the brand that provides clothes which enable them to engage in these daily activities with ease” said Jocelyn Ng, COO.

    Uniqlo Perak Malaysia 2

    Uniqlo Malaysia has lined up two more store openings in Johor and Sarawak, respectively. These will be the second Uniqlo stores for both states, after City Square in Johor Bahru and The Spring in Kuching.

    Uniqlo Perak Malaysia 4

    Uniqlo recently announced its collaboration with Disney to produce items with Disney,  Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel characters, which will be rolled out in its Malaysian network.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo Philippines opens in Cebu

    Uniqlo Philippines opens in Cebu

    Uniqlo Philippines will open its first store in Cebu on Friday (October 23).

    The new 1000 sqm store is located in SM City Cebu shopping mall, on the first level of the north wing.

    It will be Uniqlo Philippines’ 25th shop and its first in the Visayas region.

    “We have opened 24 stores in Metro Manila and Luzon, entering the Visayas market is a milestone in our growth strategy,” said Katsumi Kubota, COO of Uniqlo Philippines.

    A second Cebu store will open in November in SM Seaside City Cebu.

    Uniqlo’s Lifewear concept, Simple Made Better, advocates apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity made with elegance.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo Denver displaces famous bookstore

    Uniqlo Denver displaces famous bookstore

    Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo is continuing its expansion in the US, signing up for a strategically significant flagship in Denver.

    Uniqlo Denver will open in the Pavilions shopping centre, downtown in the Colorado state capital, displacing the former anchor, bookstore Barnes & Noble.

    Pavilions is also home to Colorado’s largest H&M store, along with fashion brands Forever 21 and Banana Republic.

    Uniqlo’s first Rocky Mountain region store will open in autumn 2016 once Barnes & Noble moves out.

    The Uniqlo Denver flagship will featuring the brand’s full assortment of mens’, women’s and children’s lines. Pavilions management say it is the only store planned in Colorado by Uniqlo.

    “Introducing new global brands to Denver is a key component of Gart Properties’ strategy for Denver Pavilions,” said Mark Sidell, president of Gart Properties, which owns the Denver Pavilions with another Denver family. “Opening the flagship Uniqlo store in the Rocky Mountain Region is a big win for downtown Denver. It’s sure to be a tourist attraction in addition to serving shoppers from all across the city and the state.”

    Uniqlo currently has 42 stores in the US, selling comfortable, affordable and stylish casual apparel for men, women and children in natural and synthetic fabrics engineered to perform in varying climates and weather conditions.

    Pavilions says it expects Uniqlo will strengthen the retail environment in downtown Denver and positively impact the downtown economy.

    “In addition to creating local jobs, Uniqlo seeks to partner with local organisations and municipalities to give back to the communities where their customers live and work through a CSR program.

  • Fast Retailing US to slow rollout

    Fast Retailing US to slow rollout

    Fast Retailing US, the North American business unit of Japan’s largest apparel retailer is to slow its Uniqlo store roll out program after heavy losses.

    The Japanese company missed its earnings target in the latest quarter and posted losses due to a US$134 million  impairment charge relating to its 42-strong US Uniqlo store network and the poor performance of other brands there, including the J Brand denim label.

    Last year, Uniqlo opened 15 new stores in the US market – this year it will open just five.

    But the company remains committed to the US market – last week it was announced it had signed a lease to take an anchor tenancy in a downtown Denver shopping mall.

    The Financial Times quoted CEO Tadashi Yanai: “The brand penetration in big cities such as New York, San Francisco and Chicago – where we will open a new store – is good, but not in the suburbs.

    “We need to overhaul our policy for opening new stores.”

    CFO Takeshi Okazaki admitted in an earnings briefing: “The brand also still doesn’t have a lot of recognition in the United States.”

    Yanai will relocate a management team to the US to review operations there and try to revive sales growth, with a fresh strategy to be developed. In the year to the end of August, Fast Retailing reported a 48 per cent growth in net profit to JPY110 billion, (US$914,685,200) 10 billion lower than its earnings guidance three months earlier. It also incurred losses on the refurbishment of its Oxford St, London, and Shanghai flagships.

    Annual sales rose 22 per cent to JPY1.68 trillion (US$13.9 billion) largely due to growing demand for its products in China and South Korea.

    Lees ook:

  • Fast Retailing launches refugee initiative

    Fast Retailing launches refugee initiative

    Japanese retail company Fast Retailing has launched HELP, a global initiative to help clothe refugees.

    The project – dubbed 10 Million Ways to HELP will be run in conjunction with the UNHCR.

    Collection starts at Uniqlo and GU on October 2 at stores around Japan and from mid-October in other markets.

    According to a Uniqlo statement, UNHCR estimates the number of women, men, and children forcibly displaced owing to armed conflict and other causes reached 59.5 million by the end of 2014 – the highest since the end of World War II – prompting Fast Retailing to respond.

    Fast Retailing has been implementing an All-Product Recycling Initiative to provide clothing to refugees since 2006, and in 2011 became the first company headquartered in Asia to establish a global partnership with UNHCR. As part of the initiative, Fast Retailing has also launched a drive to collect clothing from employees.

    Around 90 per cent of the clothing that Fast Retailing has collected to date through its All-Product Recycling Initiative has been in wearable condition. As of the end of April 2015, more than 10 million items from the company had been delivered to refugees in 37 countries by UNHCR, including those in Jordan, Syria, Thailand and Nepal.

    As another contribution to alleviate the plight of displaced people, from 2011 Fast Retailing has operated an internship program at Uniqlo stores in Japan for refugees and their family members, offering invaluable work experience to promote their self-reliance.

    Lees ook:

  • H&M backs China, India

    H&M backs China, India

    Sweden’s H&M has followed in the footsteps of archrival Uniqlo in voicing its confidence in the China market despite the economic slowdown.

    Like Uniqlo H&M is aimed at the mass market, not the high end luxury sector most hit by the tightened spending of Chinese consumers.

    H&M says it will open 70 stores in China in the year to November 30, taking its network up to just over 300.

    Like Uniqlo, the company says it sees itself appealing to cost-conscious shoppers.

    In an interview in Hong Kong on Monday, H&M country manager for Greater China, Magnus Olsson, said the brand’s customers say they enjoy spending with H&M and they plan to shop more in future.

    “Those signs we think override some other maybe noise in the marketplace right now. We’re humble but confident.”

    H&M will open its largest store yet in Asia in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on October 30.

    H&M group’s sales in the nine months to August rose 22 per cent globally; expressed in local currency, by 12 per cent.

    In the fourth quarter of this year H&M plans to open about 240 new stores – almost three per day.

    It will enter India and South Africa this autumn, with maiden stores in New Delhi this week and in Cape Town in October.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • New Disney park in China to bolster sales, Uniqlo chief says

    New Disney park in China to bolster sales, Uniqlo chief says

    Fast Retailing Co. Chairman Tadashi Yanai said Walt Disney Co.’s new park in Shanghai will help his Uniqlo casual clothing brand expand in China, shrugging off concerns over an economic slowdown in the Japanese retailer’s largest overseas market.

    “The opening of the Shanghai Disneyland gives both of us, Uniqlo and Disney, a business opportunity,” Chairman Tadashi Yanai told reporters in Shanghai, where Uniqlo will open a new Disney-inspired concept store. “Our business is getting absolutely no impact” from China’s slowdown, he said.

    Starting Sunday, Uniqlo will devote an entire floor at its six-story China flagship store in central Shanghai to products jointly designed with Disney. A human-sized Mickey Mouse statue greets visitors to the store, where T-shirts and toys depicting characters such as Tinker Bell, Woody of Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story” animated films, and Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies are on display.

    Japan’s richest person, Yanai plans to open 100 stores a year in China as Uniqlo competes with Hennes & Mauritz AB’s H&M and Inditex SA’s Zara to win over consumers in the world’s most populous country. The retailer’s design tie-up comes as Disney prepares to open its $5.5 billion Shanghai theme park next year, its biggest foreign investment and a bet on the country’s booming middle class.

    The Disney collaboration should help Uniqlo boost sales in China “as buzz builds around the opening of Shanghai Disneyland,” said Bloomberg Intelligence retail analyst Thomas Jastrzab. “Expanding store-specific limited edition merchandise offerings should help Uniqlo increase regular foot traffic and improve customer loyalty.”

    Fast Retailing rose 3.3 percent to ¥46,800 ($388.09) at the close of trading in Tokyo on Friday. The shares are up by 6.3 percent so far this year, compared with the 3.3 percent gain in the benchmark Topix index.

    Uniqlo has about 360 stores in mainland China, the most in any country outside Japan, where it has almost 850 shops. The company plans to expand its Greater China network, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, to 1,000 outlets.

    China is a key market for Fast Retailing as Yanai attempts to turn Asia’s biggest clothing retailer into the world leader, with a target of ¥5 trillion in sales by 2020 from its forecast of ¥1.65 trillion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31.

    Yanai said demand for Uniqlo products will increase amid an economic slowdown in China. Everyday clothes with basic designs and advanced materials that Uniqlo sells at affordable prices fit well as China shifts its focus to consumer purchasing from manufacturing, he said.

    “An economic slowdown in China could boost Uniqlo’s sales, particularly as shoppers increasingly look for value-for-money when purchasing clothing essentials such as T-shirts and pants,” Jastrzab said.

    China’s apparel and footwear market is highly fragmented, with market leader Bestseller AS, owner of brands such as Jack & Jones and Vera Moda, holding a 1.7 percent market share by value in 2014, according to Euromonitor International. Uniqlo ranks eighth with 0.6 percent, while Inditex is ninth with 0.5 percent and H&M is out of the top 10 with 0.4 percent.

    “Our concept of manufacturing is fundamentally different and unique,” said Yanai. “We don’t chase trends, but we would rather want to incorporate fashion into our basic clothes.”

  • Uniqlo Magic For All to debut in Shanghai

    Uniqlo Magic For All to debut in Shanghai

    Uniqlo will open its Magic For All store on the fifth floor of the Uniqlo Shanghai Global Flagship store on Huai Hai Rd on September 27.

    Uniqlo Magic for all 4

    It will be the first execution o fthe new partnership between the Japanese clothing brand and entertainment giant Walt Disney which will see many Disney characters feature on apparel sold by Uniqlo.

    Uniqlo Magic for all 1

    The Magic For All line of LifeWear is part of a global collaboration with Disney Consumer Products that aims to surprise and delight customers of all ages.

    Uniqlo Magic for all 6

    Customers begin their Magic For All journey at the store’s main entrance, where a 1.8 metre Mickey Mouse statue and 100 Mickey Mouse figurines await. Known as the Mickey 100 Series, the inspiration for the figurines was taken from 100 exclusive new designs for Mickey Mouse, which will be on display for the first time in Shanghai. Fifteen of the designs were reproduced on colorful UTs (Uniqlo T-shirts), including five designs for children.

    Uniqlo Magic for all 3

    Inside the Magic For All store, customers are treated to a series of “unique and immersive experiences” found only at Uniqlo in Shanghai. Tinker Bell can be seen flying across wall monitors accompanied by music, and in a world first, the store features Shout Mickey, a special area that captures joyful moments. When a customer shouts ‘Mickey’ toward the lens of a digital camera, the moment is captured and a digital image can be sent to the customer’s mobile device as a memento of the visit. The store also features a Future area, showcasing Uniqlo’s UT range of fashions, and the Colorful Fairy Tale realm for little princesses.

    Uniqlo Magic for all 2

    Unique and innovative being central to the overall shopping experience, the store is the first in China to offer Magic For All options for UTme!, a custom T-shirt design service, and for MY Uniqlo, which enables customers to add special touches to items of clothing.

    Lees ook:

  • Seven & I to launch online store

    Seven & I to launch online store

    Japan’s Seven & I Holdings says it will open a giant online store in November, offering products sourced from across its retail store brands.

    By February 2019, Seven & I anticipates a range of 6 million SKUs will be available on the new store, including goods specifically created for the channel in partnership with name brands, including apparel chain Uniqlo.

    It targets ¥1 trillion in annual turnover, or US$8.3 billion when fully operational.

    Seven & I is the global parent of the 7-Eleven convenience store brand, owns the Ito-Yokado chain of hybrid supermarkets and general merchandise stores and the high end department stores Seibu and Sogo.

    The new online store ‘Omni7’ will open on November 11 with a stock of 1.8 million items.

    Shoppers will be able to request delivery to their home or two any Seven & I outlets for convenient collection – such as 7-Elevens.

    Returns will be permitted over the counter at any group store.

  • UNIQLO Opens World’s First MAGIC FOR ALL Store in Shanghai

    UNIQLO Opens World’s First MAGIC FOR ALL Store in Shanghai

    UNIQLO is set to open its MAGIC FOR ALL store on the fifth floor of the UNIQLO Shanghai Global Flagship Store on Huai Hai Road, its largest UNIQLO store in the world, on September 27. The MAGIC FOR ALL line of LifeWear apparel is part of a global collaboration with Disney Consumer Products that aims to surprise and delight customers of all ages.

    Customers begin their MAGIC FOR ALL journey at the store’s main entrance, where a 180-centimeter-tall Mickey Mouse statue and 100 Mickey Mouse figurines await. Known as the Mickey 100 Series, the inspiration for these iconic figurines was taken from 100 exclusive new designs for Mickey Mouse, which will be on display for the first time in Shanghai. Fifteen of the designs were reproduced on colorful UTs (UNIQLO T-shirts), including five designs for children.

    Inside the MAGIC FOR ALL store, customers are treated to a series of unique and immersive experiences found only at UNIQLO in Shanghai. Tinker Bell can be seen flying across wall monitors accompanied by music, and in a world first, the store features Shout Mickey, a special area that captures joyful moments. When a customer shouts ‘Mickey’ toward the lens of a digital camera, the moment is captured and a digital image can be sent to the customer’s mobile device as a memento of the visit. The store also features a Future area, showcasing UNIQLO’s UT range of fashions, and the Colorful Fairy Tale realm for little princesses.

    Unique and innovative being central to the overall shopping experience, the store is the first in China to offer MAGIC FOR ALL options for UTme!, a custom T-shirt design service, and for MY UNIQLO, which enables customers to add special touches to items of clothing.

  • Uniqlo Belgium to launch in Antwerp

    Uniqlo Belgium is to open its first store – in Antwerp, on October 2.

    The opening will mark a further expansion of Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing’s European footprint as it tries to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s largest apparel retailer by 2020.

    The new Antwerp store will have a total sales floor area of about 1320 sqm over two levels and a mezzanine floor. It will be a “large-scale Uniqlo store” featuring men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothing. In addition to the 2015 Fall/Winter collection, customers will also find the collaboration line created jointly with apparel brand Lemaire, led by Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran.

    “Our first store in Antwerp, an important and influential fashion city, marks our arrival in the Benelux region,” said Takao Kuwahara, Fast Retailing Group senior VP and Uniqlo Europe COO. “Uniqlo has so far built a presence in London, Paris, Moscow and Berlin, and I am pleased that the time has come for us to expand on our success in Europe by opening a first store in Belgium. We are very excited to introduce our brand and our products to customers across Benelux.”

    Uniqlo, (an abbreviation for ‘Unique Clothing Warehouse’) was established in Japan in 1984 and now boasts more than 1600 stores across 16 countries. Belgium will be its 17th. In Europe, the company operates 26 stores in four countries, having launched in the UK in 2001, France in 2007, Russia in 2010, and Germany in 2014.

    To coincide with the store’s debut, Uniqlo has developed a marketing campaign centred around ‘Six Faces of Antwerp’.

    The six are Bent Van Looy, Helena Eeckeleers, (pictured above), Felix Denayer, Joke De Coninck, Mark Colle, and Francine Martens.

    Spanning across different parts of society, including musicians, sportsmen, craftspersons, models and entrepreneurs, each person in the campaign has a special connection and relevance to the scenery of Antwerp. They will showcase how Uniqlo’s LifeWear products fits seamlessly into the daily lives of every person, regardless of age, personal background or style.

    Bent Van Looy is a singer, musician, artist, style icon, and TV personality. As the frontman of Das Pop and the drummer of Soulwax, he travels regularly around the world. In 2013, he released ‘Round the Bend’, his first solo album. He is currently based in Paris but returns regularly to Antwerp, where he grew up and still has a strong connection with.

    Helena Eeckeleers combines her marketing studies at the Karel de Grote-Hogeschool with a modeling career. She is passionate about fashion and loves to spend time in the south of Antwerp.

    Felix Denayer is a professional field hockey player who won the ‘Golden Stick’ for Best Belgian Hockey player twice.

    Joke De Coninck is a barista who spends most of her time working in Caffenation, a renowned coffee bar in Antwerp.

    Mark Colle is one of the most sought-after florists in the world and the number one choice for haute couture houses.

    Francine Martens worked for 50 years at bakery Goossens, the smallest but most authentic bakery in the center of Antwerp where people queue all day long. Francine retired a few years ago, but is still very much linked to the bakery.

  • Uniqlo Malaysia plans seven new stores

    Uniqlo Malaysia plans seven new stores

    Japanese retail giant Fast Retailing is planning to open seven new Uniqlo Malaysia stores.

    Two of the stores are planned for Sabah and Sarawak in eastern Malaysia and will mark the brand’s first foray into the eastern region after establishing a strong network of stores in central Malaysia.

    The seven stores will begin trading between September and November this year.

    Uniqlo said they will be located in the Klang Valley (The Curve), Perak (Aeon Klebang), Kedah (Aman Sentral), Sabah (Imago KK Times Square and Suria Sabah) and Sarawak (The Spring Mall and Vivacity Megamall).

    “The new store openings mark Uniqlo Malaysia’s first entry into East Malaysia, as it looks to provide more Malaysians with high quality, comfortable and stylish clothing at affordable prices,” the company said in a statement.

    Uniqlo Malaysia currently has 25 stores located within the Klang Valley, Johor, Malacca, Pahang and Penang.

    “We are excited with the upcoming new store openings, as it means more Malaysians will be able to purchase and experience our product offerings,” said Uniqlo Malaysia’s co-COO Jocelyn Ng.

    “We remain committed to provide the best shopping experience and make our innovative products, such as Airism and Heattech, more accessible to the communities in these locations.”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo to open seventh Aussie store

    Uniqlo to open seventh Aussie store

    Japanese retailer, Uniqlo, will open its third Victorian store in late 2015 in the redeveloped Eastland centre, in Melbourne’s east.

    Uniqlo Eastland will be a premium large scale outlet with a sales floor spanning nearly 1045sqm, joining more than 350 brands on completion of the centre’s $665 million redevelopment.

    The store will look to create more than 70 jobs for the Ringwood precinct, with positions on offer for both managers and store staff in the surrounding areas.

    “We’re excited to be opening our third store in Melbourne. We see Melbourne, and Australia more broadly, as a key market for us in the Asia and Oceania region,” said Shoichi Miyasaka, CEO of Uniqlo Australia.

    “We’ve received a very positive response from Melbournians since we opened our first store last year, and we’re thrilled to be in a position to continue to grow our presence in this market.

    “Eastland’s transformation will see it become the epicentre for retail and community engagement in the east, with its position amongst some of the fastest growing suburbs pivotal for Uniqlo to service the outer Eastern Melbourne population,” said Miyasaka.

    Centre manager of the new Eastland, Steve Edgerton, welcomed the Japanese retailer to the Eastern Melbourne community.

    “The addition of international fashion brands such as Uniqlo demonstrates the calibre of retailers Eastland’s development is attracting,” said Edgerton.

    “Once completed, Eastland’s $665m transformation will offer more than 350 speciality stores, with a carefully curated selection of international and Australian high street and boutique brands.”

    There are six Uniqlo stores in Australia, four in Sydney and two in Melbourne.

    Lees ook:

  • Disney, Uniqlo form global partnership

    Disney, Uniqlo form global partnership

    Uniqlo has announced a global collaboration with Disney Consumer Products, dubbed Magic For All.

    The initiative will see characters from Disney’s brands, including Marvel action, Star Wars adventure and Pixar creativity to everyday Uniqlo LifeWear fashions and introduce “innovative new products, pop-up displays, and in-store and online customer experiences,” the Japanese apparel retailer said in a statement.

    “We want to help everyone’s dreams come true,” said Tadashi Yanai, chairman, president and CEO of Fast Retailing.

    “I look forward to bringing together LifeWear and the magic, excitement and adventure of Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar to deliver enjoyment to customers all around the world through our products, customer service and shopping experience.”

    Paul Candland, president of The Walt Disney Company Asia, said the entertainment giant prides itself on delivering magical experiences to fans of all ages, “whether it’s at the movies, retail, our theme parks or at home”.

    “Uniqlo shares our passion for storytelling and we look forward to expanding our global collaboration creating unique experiences for fans to immerse themselves in the Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar brands.”

    The Disney, Uniqlo relationship began in 2009, when the company launched its first collection of UTs (Uniqlo T-shirts) featuring iconic and treasured Disney characters, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Through Magic For All, Uniqlo will extend its collaboration beyond the UT and sweat parka lines and introduce new LifeWear items beginning in fall 2015.

    Products will range from Ultra Light Down, fleece, and flannel shirts to umbrellas, plush toys, and other offerings featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and then expand to include popular characters from Star Wars, Pixar Animation Studios’ Toy Story, Marvel’s Avengers and Disney’s Frozen.

    Customers will be introduced to Magic For All at D23 Expo, The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, in Anaheim, California from August 14-16.

     

    A concept store featuring the full product range will open in Shanghai at the end of September. Currently under construction, it will occupy the fifth floor of the five story Uniqlo Shanghai Global Flagship, the brand’s largest worldwide.

    Global flagships and large-format stores around the world will also offer Disney, Marvel and Star Wars-themed products through newly created Magic For All sections.

    In spring 2016, Uniqlo will open its first store in the US southeast, at Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This flagship will house the brand’s assortment of Magic For All offerings for men, women and children in a setting that captures the fantasy and magic of Disney.

    On July 13, Uniqlo announced “friendship in Disney-Pixar movies” as the theme for its annual UT (Uniqlo T-shirt) Grand Prix 2016 Design Contest. First launched in 2005, the contest attracts thousands of entries from around the world. The winning designs are included in the following year’s spring summer UT Collection, which is sold worldwide. An exclusive animated short was produced to support the 2016 competition.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Fast Retailing, Seven & I mull partnership

    Fast Retailing, Seven & I mull partnership

    Two of Japan’s largest retail businesses are eyeing a “comprehensive business alliance” according to Japanese news reports.

    A strategic relationship currently under discussion could see a range of mutually beneficial co-operations spanning physical stores and eCommerce.

    Details are still sketchy, but according to news reports, Fast Retailing, the parent of Uniqlo, could work with Seven & I, parent of 7-Eleven convenience stores and the Ito-Yokado supermarket chain, on areas including product design, house brands, marketing and distribution.

    Uniqlo may use 7-Eleven stores as collection points for online purchases.

    The two companies may also launch a joint venture clothing brand outside the Uniqlo network.

    To date, that’s as much information as has leaked out.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: