Uniqlo

Uniqlo Co., Ltd. (株式会社ユニクロ, Kabushiki-gaisha Yunikuro), commonly known as Uniqlo (US: ; Japanese pronunciation:), is a Japanese casual-wear designer and retailer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing. The Uniqlo brand originated in 1984, when Fast Retailing's predecessor, Ogori Shoji, opened the first Uniqlo store in Hiroshima. The present Uniqlo Co., Ltd. was established in 1974 as Sun Road Co., Ltd. (サンロード株式会社) and took its current name in 2005 when Fast Retailing transferred its domestic Uniqlo operations to the company.

As of 31 May 2026, Uniqlo operated 2,529 stores worldwide, including 785 in Japan and 1,744 outside Japan. Its business model integrates product planning, material procurement, production, distribution, and retailing, and the company markets its clothing under the LifeWear concept, which emphasizes simple, functional, and continually improved everyday clothing. Technology has played an important role in this model, ranging from functional-material development to RFID-enabled logistics automation, digital demand forecasting, and the analysis of customer feedback using artificial intelligence.

Uniqlo began expanding outside Japan with stores in the United Kingdom in 2001 and subsequently developed a large retail presence in East and Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, and other markets. Among its best-known product lines are Heattech and Airism, developed through its long-running relationship with Toray Industries.

Men's Shop Ogori Shoji was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi, in March 1949. Ogori Shoji Co., Ltd. was incorporated in May 1963. Tadashi Yanai joined the company in 1972.

In June 1984, with Yanai at the helm, Ogori Shoji opened its first Uniqlo store in Fukuro-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima. The first roadside Uniqlo store opened in Yamanota, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the following year and became a model for subsequent stores.

The brand name was originally intended as an abbreviation of "unique clothing". In 1988, during work in Hong Kong to register the brand, the "C" in the intended abbreviation was reportedly misread as a "Q". Yanai preferred the resulting spelling and subsequently adopted "Uniqlo" as the brand name throughout Japan.

In September 1991, Ogori Shoji changed its corporate name to Fast Retailing. By 1994, the retail network had grown to more than 100 stores, and Fast Retailing listed its shares on the Hiroshima Stock Exchange in July of that year.

In the late 1990s, the company increasingly developed the (SPA) model, integrating product planning and development with production and retailing. A fleece campaign launched in 1998 attracted widespread attention and contributed to the brand's rapid growth. In November 1998, the first urban Uniqlo store opened in the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Uniqlo launched its online store in October 2000.

Uniqlo's first stores outside Japan opened in London in September 2001. The initial British expansion was unsuccessful, and most of the company's UK stores were closed in 2003.

The company entered mainland China in September 2002 with a store in Shanghai. In September 2005, Uniqlo entered South Korea, the United States, and Hong Kong. Its first US stores, in New Jersey, closed in 2006, but in November of that year Uniqlo opened its first global flagship store in SoHo, Manhattan.

Uniqlo entered France in December 2007. During the 2008 financial crisis, its sales in Japan rose as consumers sought lower-priced clothing.

During the following decade, Uniqlo expanded rapidly across East and Southeast Asia. It opened its first Singapore store in 2009, followed by Malaysia and Taiwan in 2010, Thailand in 2011, the Philippines in 2012, Indonesia in 2013, and Vietnam in 2019.

Uniqlo entered Russia on 2 April 2010 with the opening of the UNIQLO ATRIUM store in Moscow. Its operations in the country are currently suspended.

The company entered Australia on 16 April 2014 with its first store at Emporium Melbourne. It entered Germany in the same year with a global flagship store in Berlin. Belgium followed in 2015 and Canada in 2016.

On 20 September 2017, Uniqlo opened its first Spanish store, on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. It entered Sweden and the Netherlands in 2018, and Denmark and Italy in 2019.

Uniqlo opened its first store in India at Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj in New Delhi on 4 October 2019.

In 2022, Uniqlo established its first physical presence in Poland with a limited-period pop-up store in Warsaw. Its first permanent store in Poland opened in Warsaw in September 2024.

On 25 April 2024, the company opened its first store in Scotland, on Princes Street in Edinburgh. Uniqlo continued to expand its store network in Europe and North America during the mid-2020s.