Experience in running a men's clothing store

by wgyuvs8a on 2012-03-01 18:10:23

Kojun Shoji, which once operated the men's clothing store "Men’s Shop OS" (メンズショップOS, remodeled as UNIQLO in April 1992) in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, opened a comprehensive clothing store named "Unique Clothing Warehouse" (ユニーククロージングウエアハウス) in Kojin Town, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City in June 1984. Initially, it was simply referred to by its English acronym "UNI-CLO." In 1988, when a branch was established in Hong Kong, the business registration name used was "UNI-QLO," different from the abbreviation "UNI-CLO." Later, "UNI-QLO" was adopted as the trademark, and the Taobao flagship store of Uniqlo was launched. In September 1991, the company name was changed to Fast Retailing (ファーストリテイリング, Fast Retailing).

In the early days of entrepreneurship, UNIQLO opened several large stores in Japan, with buildings designed in an American warehouse style. Inside, movie posters and celebrity pictures were used as decorations. The main products were low-cost clothing produced in Chinese factories. In 1997, UNIQLO referenced the business strategy of the American retail group GAP, starting to design and exclusively sell their own branded ready-to-wear products. The goal shifted to providing low-priced, high-quality products, and advertising agencies were hired to promote the brand. This transformation of the brand image was successful, reaching peak sales in August 2001, and subsequently expanding into the UK market.

Starting in 2002, UNIQLO's inventory in Japan rapidly increased, and performance in the UK was not ideal, leading to significant declines in August sales in 2002 and 2003. Subsequently, UNIQLO acquired brands such as "theory" (セオリー) and "national standard" (ナショナルスタンダード), collaborated with fashion magazines to develop co-branded products, and employed well-known artists like Norika Fujiwara for advertising endorsements. Additionally, they collaborated with external designers, successfully reviving and increasing sales in 2004. UNIQLO also expanded its operations to East Asia, opening branches in Shanghai, China in September 2002 and in Hong Kong in September 2005. They also partnered with Lotte (Rakuten) to open a store in Seoul, South Korea.

Additionally, starting from the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, through the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics, UNIQLO provided the Japanese national team with uniforms worn during the Olympic opening ceremonies and travel outfits. From 2003 to 2005, they also supplied uniforms for the J-League Division 2 team, Kusatsu Onsen FC.