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    Uniqlo Co., LTD

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    Uniqlo is a Japanese casual clothing retailer known for affordable, high-quality basics. It began as a small men's clothing shop in 1949 and opened its first Uniqlo store in 1984. The brand has since expanded rapidly across Japan and internationally, with over 800 stores worldwide. Uniqlo designs and manufactures its own clothing, working directly with materials suppliers to ensure quality and competitive pricing.

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    Uniqlo Co., LTD

    Uploaded by

    cedricXXX
    517 views10 pages
    Uniqlo is a Japanese casual clothing retailer known for affordable, high-quality basics. It began as a small men's clothing shop in 1949 and opened its first Uniqlo store in 1984. The brand has since expanded rapidly across Japan and internationally, with over 800 stores worldwide. Uniqlo designs and manufactures its own clothing, working directly with materials suppliers to ensure quality and competitive pricing.

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    Uniqlo is a Japanese casual clothing retailer known for affordable, high-quality basics. It began as a small men's clothing shop in 1949 and opened its first Uniqlo store in 1984. The brand has since expanded rapidly across Japan and internationally, with over 800 stores worldwide. Uniqlo designs and manufactures its own clothing, working directly with materials suppliers to ensure quality and competitive pricing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    517 views10 pages

    Uniqlo Co., LTD

    Uploaded by

    cedricXXX
    Uniqlo is a Japanese casual clothing retailer known for affordable, high-quality basics. It began as a small men's clothing shop in 1949 and opened its first Uniqlo store in 1984. The brand has since expanded rapidly across Japan and internationally, with over 800 stores worldwide. Uniqlo designs and manufactures its own clothing, working directly with materials suppliers to ensure quality and competitive pricing.

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    At a glance
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    Uniqlo began as a small clothing store in Japan and has since expanded to over 1700 stores globally by focusing on high-quality, affordable basics and functional fabrics. They conduct extensive research to develop new materials and constantly improve existing ones.

    Uniqlo started as a men's clothing store in Japan in 1984 and was renamed to Uniqlo in the late 1980s. It grew to over 100 stores in Japan by 1994 and has since expanded globally, especially in Asia. They focus on partnerships with local factories around the world.

    Uniqlo conducts research over a year in advance to analyze trends and new materials. Designers work with other departments to finalize concepts which are refined through samples. Uniqlo also directly sources high-quality materials from suppliers and develops new fabrics with partners like Toray Industries.

    Uniqlo Co., Ltd.

    is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and


    retailer. The company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co.,
    Ltd. since November 2005.

    Since March 1949, a Yamaguchi-based company, Ogori Shji (which, until


    then, had been operating men's clothing shops called "Men's Shop OS") existed
    in Ube, Yamaguchi.
    In May 1984, they opened a unisex casual wear store in Fukuro-
    machi, Naka-ku, and Hiroshima under the name "Unique Clothing Warehouse".
    Initially, from the contraction of "unique clothing", the brand was going to register
    under "uni-clo". However, in 1988, during administration work between Hong Kong
    in relation to the brand, staff in charge of registration misread the "C" as "Q", and
    that is how the brand name was born. From then, Tadashi Yanai changed the
    store name to "uniqlo" across Japan. In September 1991, the name of the
    company was changed from "Ogori Shji" to "Fast Retailing", and by April 1994,
    there were over 100 Uniqlo stores operating throughout Japan.

    UNIQLO clothes offer unique value to everyone, everywhere. UNIQLO


    negotiates directly with materials suppliers around the world, placing large
    orders to ensure steady access to world-class natural materials. We also work
    with top synthetic fiber manufacturers to develop new functional materials.
    UNIQLO is known and loved by consumers worldwide for its ability to challenge
    the conventional wisdom of clothing.

    Research & Design (Designers/Pattern makers)

    UNIQLO's research and design (R&D) centers continually research analyze


    the latest fashions and lifestyles from around the world as well as look for new
    materials.
    Concept meetings are held roughly one year before a product's intended
    launch. On these occasions, designers meet with representatives from the
    merchandising, marketing, materials development and production departments
    to discuss and finalize concepts for upcoming seasons. Then UNIQLO's R&D
    centers prepare designs and refine samples until each product is finalized.

    Development and Procurement of Materials

    UNIQLO can secure stable, high-volume supplies of top-quality materials at


    low cost by negotiating directly with materials manufacturers, and placing large-
    volume orders. The materials used for our core items are particularly important.
    Our in-depth research and experimentation generates multi-layered
    improvements in the functionality, feel, silhouette and texture of our clothes. For
    example, we source denim to specific spinning standards and dyeing
    specifications from Kaihara Corporation. We also develop materials with our
    strategic partner Toray Industries, a synthetic fiber manufacturer, to create
    HEATTECH.

    Merchandising

    Merchandisers play a vital role from product planning through production.


    After meeting with the R&D designers, merchandisers then apply the concepts for
    each season to product plans, materials and designs. Next, they decide the
    product lineup and volume for each season, paying close attention to a detailed
    marketing strategy. One other important task for our merchandisers is to decide
    when to increase or reduce production during a season. Any decisions about
    adjusting production in line with demand are made jointly with the product
    planning department.

    Quality and Production Control

    UNIQLO deploys about 400 staff and textile takumi (skilled artisans) to offices
    in Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Dhaka, Jakarta and Istanbul. Production managers
    visit partner factories each week to resolve outstanding issues. Customer
    concerns regarding quality are communicated immediately to production
    departments, and then improvements are made.

    UNIQLO's Takumi Team

    "By offering instruction on dyeing technology at UNIQLO's partner factories,


    I can encourage workers to embrace a new production management
    philosophy and improve the factories they work in. Our cultures may be different,
    but our aim is the same--to make good great products. I am proud to be passing
    on expert Japanese techniques to the next generation of technicians."

    Expanding Our Production Network

    As UNIQLO expands its global reach, we have formed business relationships


    with partner factories in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia. We will also
    look at expanding our global manufacturing base by developing relationships
    with factories closer to UNIQLO stores in Europe and the United States.

    Inventory Control

    The Inventory Control department maintains the optimum level of store


    inventory by monitoring sales and stock on a weekly basis, and dispatching
    necessary inventory and new products to fulfill product orders. At the end of each
    season, merchandisers and the Marketing Department help coordinate the
    timing of markdowns and limited-period sales (typically 20-30% off the regular
    price) to ensure that inventory sells out.

    Marketing

    Each season, UNIQLO conducts promotional campaigns for core products


    such as fleece, Ultra Light Down, AIRism and HEATTECH. During these campaigns,
    UNIQLO advertises these core products' unique qualities and noteworthy features
    on TV and in other media. In Japan, for example, weekly flyers in the Friday
    editions of national newspapers, which are delivered to most households,
    promote the apparel that will be discounted through Monday.

    UNIQLO Stores

    UNIQLO Japan had 841 stores (including 30 franchise stores) at the end of
    August 2015. Since the opening of the first store outside Japan in 2001, UNIQLO
    International has expanded to 798 stores, including 467 stores in Greater China
    (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan), 155 in South Korea, and 108 in
    Southeast Asia and Oceania. We have enjoyed rapid store development in Asia.

    E-commerce Business

    Online sales in Japan totaled 32.4 billion in fiscal 2015, or 4.2% of total
    UNIQLO sales. Online sales are also doing well in places including Mainland China,
    Taiwan, South Koria, Britain, the U.S., Australia and Singapore.
    Customer Center

    The Customer Center deals with more than 270,000 comments and requests
    annually. Appropriate departments act on them to improve products, stores and
    services.
    Developing Products of Exceptionally High Quality

    To ensure the development of products of exceptional quality, UNIQLO has


    refined its SPA* (Specialty store retailer of Private label Apparel) business model,
    allowing for control of the entire business process from planning and design to
    material procurement and sales.

    Product Development Based on Customer Feedback


    Customer opinions and needs play a vital role in UNIQLOs product
    development. The UNIQLO Customer Center receives approximately 90,000
    comments from customers annually. Our HEATTECH products, for example, have
    been refined each year based on customer feedback such as comments
    asking for softer fabric, a function to keep skin both warm and prevent dryness
    and an expanded range of colors. It is precisely this customer feedback that
    makes it possible for UNIQLO to produce the high-quality apparel that it does.
    Material Procurement from Around the World
    The UNIQLO Material Development Team is able to procure high-quality
    materials at low costs through direct negotiations with and bulk purchases from
    material manufacturers globally. For instance, take the denim fabric that is
    nearly synonymous with UNIQLO. This is woven, dyed and manufactured to meet
    UNIQLOs specifications by the global denim manufacturer KAIHARA Co., Ltd..
    In addition, it is efforts like this that have made it possible for UNIQLO to secure
    high-quality, long-staple cotton which can only be harvested from three
    percent of the worlds cotton plants for UNIQLOs popular Extra-Fine Cotton
    plain T-Shirts.
    Expert Technical Guidance at Factories Emphasizes Quality
    In order to produce millions of products of standardized quality, it becomes
    important to implement quality control across factory production
    technology and management. UNIQLO has a team of technical specialists,
    known as the Takumi Team, boasting many years of experience in the Japanese
    textile industry. These specialists are sent directly to our partner factories in China
    to offer technical instruction and share their abundant experience. At the same
    time, the supervisors from the Production Department, based in the Shanghai
    office, make weekly visits to partner factories to check the quality and progress
    of production.
    Becoming Japan's Top Brand by Expanding Urban Market Share

    Since opening our first in-mall stores in 2004, UNIQLO's image has been
    transforming from a suburban discount retailer to a high-quality, high-street
    brand. Commercial property developers recognize UNIQLO's power to attract
    customers, and we receive many invitations to open stores from prime large-
    scale shopping malls, urban department stores and fashion buildings.

    Our new global hotspot store, the BICQLO Shinjuku East Exit Store, has enjoyed
    great success in a location formerly occupied by a prominent department store.
    We will continue to expand our urban market share by aggressively opening
    stores in major cities. In spring 2014, we plan to open global hotspot stores in
    Ikebukuro and Okachimachi, two thriving Tokyo commercial districts on a par
    with Shinjuku.

    Expanding UNIQLO International

    Expanding UNIQLO's Presence in Global Markets


    In the year ending August 2014, we expect UNIQLO International sales will
    increase to 400.0 billion, operating income will expand to 35.0 billion, and the
    number of UNIQLO stores located outside of Japan will rise to 632 stores. UNIQLO
    International already accounts for over 30% of total UNIQLO sales. Favorable
    new-store expansion in the Asian region has proved the key driver of recent
    growth, and we are now focusing our attention on another promising location
    for future expansion: the United States.

    Within the Asian region, our Greater China operation (China, Hong Kong
    and Taiwan) is growing rapidly, with approximately 100 new stores opening each
    year. We have expanded our horizons for new store openings across Southeast
    Asia and Oceania, encompassing Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the
    Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. Across the Pacific, we have now reached a
    point where we can begin building a genuine store network in the United States.
    We aim to expand our store network in the United States to 100 stores over the
    next few years by opening between 20 and 30 new stores each year.
    HEATTECH

    HEATTECH is the result of collaboration between UNIQLO and Toray


    Industries, Inc. HEATTECH is a unique highly functional line of innerwear that offers
    amazing comfort, which has won over a multitude of customers.

    AIRism Comfort Takes the World by Storm


    REAC TION

    PA- PER
    Uniqlo Co., Ltd. s a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and
    retailer and is slowly killing the market with their sudden uprising in the Clothing
    Market. Who would have thought that in just 5 years or less, the BOOM Factor in
    the Market of UNIQLO is quite shocking.

    UNIQLO is passionate about creating comfortable everyday clothes that


    make your life better. Today, UNIQLO boasts over 1,700 stores in 17 countries and
    regions, and is attracting fans from all over the world with new concepts in
    clothing. Of course, they offer UNIQUE value to everyone. We could say that
    their manufacturing strategy is phenomenal. They use top synthetic fiber to
    develop new functional materials. UNIQLO is known and loved by consumers
    worldwide for its ability to challenge the conventional wisdom of clothing. UNIQLO
    is continuously developing products of exceptional quality, in order to create
    clothing with new and unique value and to satisfy customers worldwide.

    Usually, the most important thing in the fashion business is to chase the latest
    trends faster than anyone else. At UNIQLO, however, we are striving for something
    completely different: an entirely new, unique category of clothing. This is founded
    on our LifeWear concept, which denotes high-quality, fashionable, affordable
    and comfortable everyday clothing.

    According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan's


    department store, supermarket and apparel retail sales totaled 10.7 trillion yen in
    2007. Based on METI's data, UNIQLO's market share in Japan in 2013 was 6.2%. (Its
    2013 menswear market share was 10.0%, and its women's wear market share was
    4.7%.) However, given its origins as a chain of suburban roadside stores, UNIQLO
    has traditionally been underrepresented in major urban areas such as Tokyo,
    Osaka and Fukuoka.
    Global flagship stores in major cities around the world will become an
    increasingly important part of their strategy to build an international store network.
    These stores are ideal showcases for promoting the UNIQLO brand concept of
    high quality basic clothing to the world. Since opening our first in New York's Soho
    district in fall 2006, we have subsequently opened global flagship stores in London,
    Paris, Shanghai, Shinsaibashi in Osaka, Taipei, New York's Fifth Avenue, Seoul,
    Hong Kong, Ginza and Berlin.

    UNIQLO relentlessly strives to create world-class products of the highest


    caliber and will not compromise on quality.

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