Uniqlo operator unveils new Tokyo flagship store

Fast Retailing Co on Wednesday unveiled its fourth global flagship store for the Uniqlo clothing brand in Japan, returning to a major Tokyo shopping district where it had closed an outlet in 2022, amid a recent recovery in inbound tourism.

The new store, scheduled to open on Friday, is located in the heart of Shinjuku, one of the busiest commercial districts in the country. Shinjuku Station holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of passengers boarding and departing.

Carrying all Uniqlo products sold in Japan, along with some items available only in the United States and Europe, the store also offers T-shirts developed in collaboration with local businesses, such as instant noodle maker Nissin Foods Holdings Co.

Fast Retailing, which operates roughly 2,500 Uniqlo stores globally, has expressed hopes of leveraging the Shinjuku location to attract more customers both at home and abroad, on the back of increased foot traffic after the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"Shinjuku is like a town made up of various shopping streets," Masahiro Endo, a Fast Retailing group executive officer in charge of Uniqlo marketing in Japan and South Korea, said at a press conference. "We want to be the No. 1 store in the area."

The fourth flagship store in Japan, following those in Ginza and Yurakucho in Tokyo as well as another in Osaka, was established at the same location where the company opened a collaboration outlet with electronics retailer Bic Camera Inc in 2012.

Fast Retailing closed the store in Shinjuku two years ago due to the expiration of its lease agreement. In its return to the district, Endo said the new outlet aims to achieve the highest sales among Uniqlo stores worldwide.

The Shinjuku store is also equipped with a coffee shop, a flower stand and a clothing repair service studio, while offering guidebooks that introduce nearby popular destinations in an effort to promote the district to those unfamiliar with it.

Government data released last month showed that the number of foreign visitors to Japan jumped 36.0 percent from a year earlier to a record 2.93 million in August, with the yen's sharp depreciation giving them greater purchasing power in the country.

Across the globe, Fast Retailing, committed to reaching sales of 10 trillion yen ($66 billion), has opened 15 global flagship stores, including locations in New York and Paris, the company said. It posted record sales of 3.1 trillion yen in the year ended August.

© KYODO