Mission and Vision
To continuously provide fashionable, high quality, basic casual wear at the lowest prices in the market - casual wear that anybody can wear whenever and wherever.
In order to achieve this, we will focus on low cost operation and directly link production and marketing by the shortest and cheapest means.
We will think hard about the kind of customer services that are expected from us and provide the best possible.
We will provide an environment where global standard employees can happily work, and do innovative work as a team with human touch rather than like a bureaucratic team.
And, as a result, we will become a global casual wear company, targeting high growth for both top-line as well as bottom-line.
Corporate Information
UNIQLO is a brand of FAST RETAILING and among the top ten speciality apparel retailers in the world.
Click HERE to see more information about FAST RETAILING
UNIQLO CO., LTD. Japan
FAST RETAILING CO., LTD. was established in March 1963.FR opened its first UNIQLO casual wear store in 1984 and subsequently enjoyed strong growth through the development of a mainly suburban roadside UNQILO store network. In November 1998, FR opened its first urban UNIQLO store in Tokyo’s young, trendy Harajuku area (Shibuya ward) and soon became well known throughout the urban areas of Tokyo, Osaka, etc. As of October 2005, UNIQLO boasted around 700 stores within Japan. UNIQLO has become Japan’s leading specialty clothing retail chain in terms of both sales and profits thanks to its strategy of controlling the entire creative process of high quality, low cost basic casual wear from product planning, through manufacture, distribution and sales. From November 1, 2005, FAST RETAILING shifted to a new holding company structure. Effective that same date, FAST RETAILING CO., LTD. exists as a holding company and domestic UNIQLO operations are conducted by the new operating company, UNIQLO CO., LTD.
UNIQLO(U.K.)LTD. UK
FAST RETAILING first branched out overseas in September 2001 with the opening of its first UNIQLO store in London, England. UNIQLO had 8 stores in the UK as of end October 2005 with net sales for the year ending August 2005 totaling ¥1.9bln.
UNIQLO USA, Inc. USA
UNIQLO entered the US market in September 2005 with 3 stores opening in shopping malls in New Jersey. America is the home of casual wear and so this represents the ultimate challenge into an extremely competitive market. We plan to proceed cautiously and patiently, carving a firm presence first on a small scale and then gradually expanding as we gain experience of the local market.
FAST RETAILING (JIANGSU) APPAREL CO., LTD. China
FAST RETAILING opened its first store in China in September 2002 in Shanghai. Determined to establish a firm and profitable base in China, we continued a steady expansion of the chain operation, increasing Shanghai store numbers through a scrap and build policy. As of end October 2005, UNIQLO now has 9 stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou. UNIQLO’s Chinese subsidiary made its first profit in the year to August 2005 with net sales of ¥1.1bln.
FRL Korea Co., LTD. South Korea
FRL Korea Co., LTD. was set up as a joint venture with leading South Korean distributor Lotte Shopping Co. Ltd. in December 2004. In September 2005, the venture opened three stores in 3 Lotte department stores and Lotte marts. Lotte Shopping is Korea’s largest distributor with around 50 commercial facilities including department stores. With Lotte as our partner, we can expect to gain a stable and sure market share in South Korea.
UNIQLO HONG KONG, LTD. Hong Kong
100.0% consolidated subsidiaryhttp://www.uniqlo.com.hkUNIQLO HONG KONG, LTD. opened its first UNIQLO store on September 30, 2005 in the Miramar Shopping Center in Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Hong Kong's busiest downtown shopping districts. The store boasts a relatively large shop floor of 1,100㎡ and the rich range of garments on show has already grabbed the attention of Hong Kong consumers. We plan to gradually open more UNIQLO stores in Hong Kong in the future.
Brand History
| Years | Outline |
|---|---|
| MAR. 1949 | Men’s Shop Ogori Shoji founded as a private enterprise in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. |
| JUN. 1984 | The first UNIQLO store specializing in casual clothing, opened in Hiroshima City (UNIQLO Fukuromachi store; closed in August 1991). |
| JUN. 1985 | The first UNIQLO roadside store opened. Following immediate success, the format was adopted as the new standard. |
| OCT. 1998 | The ¥1,900 fleece campaign attracted great public attention. |
| SEP. 2001 | First four UNIQLO overseas stores opened in London, U.K. |
| APR. 2002 | UNIQLO Design Studio established as an independent organization with over 50 designers and pattern makers. |
| SEP. 2002 | Began operations in China by opening two UNIQLO stores in Shanghai. |
| OCT. 2003 | The cashmere campaign stimulated high consumer interest. |
| DEC. 2004 | Established UNIQLO Design Studio, New York, Inc. design subsidiary in New York to help strengthen R&D function. |
| SEP. 2005 | Opened first UNIQLO store in South Korea (Seoul). |
| SEP. 2005 | Opened first store in US (New Jersey). |
| SEP. 2005 | Opened first store in Hong Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district). |
| OCT. 2005 | Opened UNIQLO flagship store in Tokyo Ginza. |
| NOV. 2006 | Opened UNIQLO global flagship store in Soho New York. |