Uniqlo to open first store in Australia
Uniqlo is to expand into Australia with the opening of a store in Melbourne as it looks to establish its brand in the Asia and Oceania region and take its first step into markets in the southern hemisphere.
The casual clothing brand, which is owned by Japanese retail giant Fast Retailing, has selected the new Emporium Melbourne retail complex for its first Australian presence. Opening in Spring 2014, the new store will feature a sales area of nearly 2,180 square metres spread over four floors and will sell Uniqlo’s full range of clothing for men, women, children and babies.
Shoichi Miyasaka, chief executive of Uniqlo Australia and Fast Retailing Group senior vice president, said: “We are very excited to be opening our first store in Melbourne, Australia. The city is a great centre of style and we hope to make UNIQLO an essential stop for fashion-conscious Melbourne shoppers looking for high quality, affordable clothes. Our goal is to build a loyal customer base by offering every visitor the outstanding level of customer service that UNIQLO is known for within Japan, in a comfortable and welcoming shopping environment.”
The launch of the first Australian store marks the latest step in Uniqlo’s growth strategy in the Asia Pacific region following store debuts in Singapore (2009), Malaysia (2010), Taiwan (2010), Thailand (2011), the Philippines (2012) and Indonesia (2013).
Uniqlo now operates more than 1,200 stores across 14 markets worldwide.
