UNIQLO

Mission and Vision

Clothing says a lot, but you can say it better. UNIQLO designs, manufactures, markets and sells casual wear that can be worn by anyone, any day. Rather than dictate a look, UNIQLO provides people everywhere with the piece they need to create their own style. And style comes from within, which is why the UNIQLO logo is nearly invisible, tucked away inside the garment.

This concept, along with an unwavering focus on quality and value, has guided UNIQLO's actions since the establishment of its first store in 1984 Hiroshima, Japan. Today UNIQLO has grown to over 760 UNIQLO stores worldwide and is household name in Japan.

From t-shirts and sweaters to denim, outerwear and trend items, all of our clothes are made according to exacting Japanese standards for quality and come in an astonishing variety of colors and styles. UNIQLO is committed to providing customers with true excellence and innovation in casual wear, from the design and functionality to the fit and color choices. As a company, UNIQLO controls every stage of the creation of its products-from the fabric used to the stringent production control program at the factory and finally to the display at the store. We use the world's best resources to give customers something better every time.

UNIQLO is a brand of FAST RETAILING and among the top 10 specialty apparel retailers in the world. Other group companies include Theory in the U.S., COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS and Princesse tam.tam in France, and g.u., CABIN, ONE ZONE, FOOT PARK, VIEW COMPANY and ASPESI in Japan.

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.