Inside Uniqlo’s Covent Garden store

Uniqlo and Theory, part of Fast Retailing Group, have opened their second joint retail location in the UK within a Grade II-listed former Victoria carriage hall in Covent Garden, London. The openings mark the 17th Uniqlo store in the UK and Theory’s fourth.

The unique retail space, previously occupied by luxury department store The Shop at Bluebird, spans 15,600 square feet across three levels with entrances on both Long Acre and Floral Street. It has been designed to offer an immersive and relaxed shopping environment with a focus on experience-led features, including a customisation and repair service, design your own UT T-shirts, and Uniqlo UK’s first café in store.

The building is bathed in natural light courtesy of the vaulted glass atrium over the open courtyard at the heart of the store, which adds to the relaxed and spacious feel of the store designed to allow people time to view the collections alongside comfortable seating areas throughout.

Uniqlo opens 17th store in the UK in Covent Garden

On the ground floor from the Long Acre entrance, Uniqlo showcases its LifeWear offering for both men and women, with a focus at launch on its linen staples, set amongst a colour-coordinated display of dried flowers from London florist JamJar. These sit alongside bestselling styles such as its water-repellent sling bag that has become a TikTok favourite and its latest Peace for All drop, including designs by tennis star Roger Federer and Miffy creator Dick Bruna.

This space also has a plant and flower pop-up with JamJar, offering potted plants, dried flowers, books, flower presses and prints, as well as self-service check-out points.

The first floor is dedicated to Uniqlo’s womenswear, highlighting the brand’s many innovations, such as its Airism collection of lightweight and quick-drying products, including its first silk blended sleeveless top, as well as its improved focus on womenswear with new, modern silhouettes across its dresses for spring/summer, and its TikTok favourite pleated wide trousers.

Uniqlo gives Covent Garden store a relaxed and immersive shopping experience

Menswear is on the second floor, alongside a dedicated area showcasing Uniqlo’s UT collaboration with Transport for London (TfL) to mark the London Underground's 160th birthday, featuring iconic roundel, tube map and designs inspired by heritage posters. This sits with a UTme! design station that allows customers to create their own T-shirt designs, which are printed in-store within minutes, and a collection of new and archived UT designs as part of UT’s 20th anniversary.

Next to the T-shirts is a Re.Uniqlo Studio offering repairs and customisations, including embroidery for the first time, and Uniqlo UK’s first in-store Japanese tearoom, opened in collaboration with Katsute100 café with a small seating area in-store and outdoor terrace.

Alessandro Dudech, chief operating officer of Uniqlo UK, said in a statement: “It’s an honour to be opening in an area of London with such cultural and retail heritage and continuing to expand our U.K. presence in important retail locations. With such a strong footfall from both Londoners and tourists, we look forward to offering LifeWear to both new and existing Uniqlo customers.”

The new retail space also includes a 1,200-square-foot Theory store, with its own dedicated entrance on Floral Street, showcasing the premium brand’s minimalist modern wardrobe essentials.

Dinesh Tandon, global chief executive of Theory, added: “We are thrilled to open a new Theory store in Covent Garden, a dynamic and vibrant shopping destination loved by both tourists and locals alike. “This opening, our fourth in London, marks a significant step in the continuation of Theory’s expansion plans for Europe. We are excited to offer customers elevated menswear and womenswear wardrobe essentials at Covent Garden and strengthen our brand presence in London.”