Uniqlo
Uniqlo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer.
The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.
Products
Uniqlo sells casual clothes, such as jeans, chinos, polo shirts and underwear, typically in plain colours or muted patterns. Other products include the Heattech range of heat-trapping clothes and designs using licensed works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Keith Haring. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director.History
Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebranded as Ogori Shōji in Yamaguchi-shi in March 1949. On 2 June 1984, it opened a unisex casual wear store in Fukuro-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima named Unique Clothing Warehouse. Initially, the brand was going to be registered as a shortened contraction of "unique clothing". In 1988, during administration work in Hong Kong for registering the brand, "C" was misread as "Q". Tadashi Yanai, the head of the family retail conglomerate, liked the error, and shortened the name to "Uniqlo" across Japan. In September 1991, a month after the inaugural store in Fukuro-machi closed down, the name of the company was changed from "Ogori Shōji" to "Fast Retailing". By April 1994 there were over 100 Uniqlo stores operating throughout Japan.In 1997, Fast Retailing adopted a set of strategies from American retailer The Gap, known as "SPA", meaning that they would produce their own clothing and sell it exclusively. Uniqlo outsourced their clothing manufacturing to factories in China, where labour was cheap. Japan was in the depths of a recession at the time, and the low-cost goods proved popular. Their advertising campaigns, clothing quality and new retail layouts also proved fruitful.
In November 1998, it opened their first urban Uniqlo store in Tokyo's Harajuku district, and outlets soon spread to major cities throughout Japan. In 2001, sales turnover and gross profit reached a peak, with over 500 retail stores in Japan. When Uniqlo decided to expand overseas, it separated Uniqlo from the parent company, and established Fast Retailing Apparel Co., Ltd. in China. In 2002, their first Chinese Uniqlo outlet was opened in Shanghai, along with four overseas outlets in London and Basingstoke, England.
On 1 November 2005, Fast Retailing transferred the business related to clothing manufacturing and retailing to Sun Road Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary that operated golf courses through a company split, and became a holding company. On the same day, Sun Road changed its name to Uniqlo Co., Ltd.
2005 saw more overseas expansion, with stores opening in the United States, Hong Kong and South Korea, their South Korean expansion being part of a joint venture with Lotte. By 2006, sales were $4 billion. By April 2007, the company had set a global sales goal of $10 billion and a ranking among the top five global retailers, joining Gap, H&M, Inditex and Limited Brands.
Fast Retailing signed a design consulting contract for Uniqlo products with fashion designer Jil Sander in March 2009. Sander was appointed creative director of the brand's menswear and womenswear.
On 2 September 2009, Fast Retailing announced that the company would target annual group sales of 5 trillion yen and pretax profit from operations of 1 trillion yen by 2020. This meant that the company was aiming to be the world's biggest specialty retailer of private label apparel. The company also aimed for a growth rate of 20% per year. The company's international business target included one trillion yen in China, one trillion in other Asian countries, and one trillion in Europe and the United States.
In 2023, Uniqlo accelerated its global expansion, opening its first store in Mumbai, India, and announcing its entry into the Brazilian market with a flagship store in São Paulo planned for 2024. By 2023, Uniqlo’s international revenue accounted for 55% of its global sales, surpassing domestic sales for the first time.
Logo
International operations
As of 30 November 2024, Fast Retailing claims to operate 2,541 Uniqlo stores.Australia
Uniqlo opened its first Australian store in Melbourne on 16 April 2014. It expanded into Queensland the following year, with the introduction of two shops in Brisbane. As of November 2024, there are 39 stores in Australia.Belgium
The first Belgian Uniqlo store opened on 2 October 2015 at Meir, Antwerp. There are 3 stores in Belgium as of November 2024.Canada
Uniqlo opened their first Canadian outlet at the Toronto Eaton Centre on 30 September 2016.Uniqlo announced that it plans to open stores in Victoria, Quebec City, Calgary, and Edmonton in the fall of 2025.
As of August 2025, there are 31 stores in Canada.
China
Uniqlo entered the Chinese mainland on 30 September 2002. The first outlet is Shanghai. As of November 2024, there are 928 stores in China. "I think we can go for about 3,000 stores," Fast Retailing chief Tadashi Yanai told The Nikkei in 2020.In May 2011, the magazine Shukan Bunshun published a story alleging that Uniqlo had forced employees at its stores and factories in China to work long hours for little pay. Uniqlo unsuccessfully sued the weekly's publisher, Bungeishunjū, for ¥220 million for libel.
A 2015 video of a couple having sex in a Beijing Uniqlo store changing room went viral. Chinese police arrested at least five people in connection with the incident, allegedly including the couple and three other disseminators of the video, for having "severely violated socialist core values". The New York Times noted that the store's exterior became a popular venue for people to gather and take pictures in sexual poses.
Denmark
On 5 April 2019, Uniqlo opened its first Danish flagship store in Copenhagen at Strøget. As of November 2024, there are 2 stores in Denmark.France
On 14 December 2007, Uniqlo opened its first store in France, in La Défense. As of November 2024, there are 28 stores in France.Germany
Uniqlo's German flagship store opened on 11 April 2014 at Tauentzienstraße, Berlin. As of November 2024, there are 10 stores in Germany.India
On 4 October 2019, Uniqlo opened its first Indian store in New Delhi.As of November 2024, there are 15 stores in India.
UNIQLO's first store in Pune, located at The Pavillion mall, opened on September 26, 2025.
Indonesia
On 22 June 2013, Uniqlo opened its first Indonesian store at Lotte Mall, Ciputra World 1, Jakarta. On 9 April 2021, its Indonesian flagship store opened at Pondok Indah Mall 3, Jakarta. As of October 2025, Uniqlo has 77 stores in Indonesia.Italy
On 13 September 2019, Uniqlo opened its first Italian flagship store in Milan at Piazza Cordusio square.As of November 2024, there are 4 Uniqlo stores in Italy.
Luxembourg
On 26 October 2023, Uniqlo opened its flagship store in Luxembourg City at Grand Rue.Malaysia
On 4 November 2010, Uniqlo opened its first store in Malaysia in Fahrenheit 88, located in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. As of November 2024, Uniqlo has 60 stores in Malaysia.Netherlands
The first Dutch Uniqlo store was opened at the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam on 28 September 2018. The opening was marred by protests against Uniqlo's unethical business practices in its factory in Jakarta, Indonesia.As of November 2024, there are 4 stores in the Netherlands.
Philippines
Uniqlo's first store in the Philippines opened at SM Mall of Asia on 15 June 2012. Uniqlo opened its flagship store in the country, which opened on 5 October 2018, at Glorietta 5 in Makati. The store is the biggest in Southeast Asia.As of November 2024, there are 77 stores in the Philippines.
Poland
Uniqlo opened its first store in Poland on 27 October 2022 in the Wars Sawa shopping centre in Warsaw. A second store opened in Warsaw's Westfield Arkadia mall in September 2024.Singapore
Uniqlo opened its first store in Singapore on 9 April 2009 in Tampines 1, which was closed down on 17 January 2021. As of September 2025, Uniqlo had 29 stores in Singapore.South Korea
Uniqlo generated more than 2 billion won in one day's sales on 11 November 2011 when it opened Asia's largest flagship store in central Seoul. As of November 2024, there are 132 Uniqlo stores in Korea.Lotte owns 49% of Uniqlo's Korean subsidiary.
On 6 December 2020, the flagship store in Myeong-dong was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Japanese protests.
Spain
In 2016, Uniqlo began operations with an online store, and on 20 September 2017 opened its flagship store in Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona. As of November 2024, there are 6 stores in Spain.Sweden
On 24 August 2018, Uniqlo opened its first Swedish store in Stockholm at Kungsträdgården square. As of November 2024, there are 3 stores in Sweden.Taiwan
On 5 October 2010, Uniqlo opened its first store in Taiwan at Hankyu Department Store in Taipei. As of November 2024, there are 73 stores in Taiwan.Thailand
On 9 September 2011, Uniqlo opened its first store in Thailand at CentralWorld. As of November 2024, there are 71 stores in Thailand.United Kingdom
Uniqlo's first store in the United Kingdom opened on 28 September 2001, in London, aiming to open 50 stores in three years. These plans were reversed, with 16 shops being closed in 2003. In April 2024, Uniqlo opened its first Scottish flagship store in Edinburgh on Princes Street.As of November 2024, there are 20 stores in the UK.
United States
In the United States, Uniqlo operates as Uniqlo USA LLC, headquartered in New York City.On September 15, 2005, Uniqlo opened its first United States store in the Menlo Park Mall located in Edison, New Jersey. In November 2006, Uniqlo opened its first global flagship store in the SoHo fashion district of Manhattan, New York City.
In October 2019, Uniqlo signed a lease for its first North American distribution center in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Uniqlo expanded in the US in fall 2024, opening almost 20 stores.
As of November 2024, there are 68 Uniqlo stores in the US.
In October 2025, Uniqlo announced plans for expansion into San Francisco Union Square.