Uniqlo plans first Australian store

Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo is to make its debut in Australia next year with the

opening of its first store in Melbourne.

The company has selected Melbourne as its debut city due to its “fashion-conscious” shoppers and selected Emporium Melbourne, a brand new retail complex in the heart of Melbourne's city centre, as the location for its first official Australian presence.

Opening in Spring 2014, the new store will span over four floors and will house men’s, women’s children’s and baby clothes, to offer the Australian market the full range of Uniqlo apparel.

Commenting on the expansion, Shoichi Miyasaka, CEO of Uniqlo Australia and Fast Retailing Group senior vice president, said: "We are very excited to be opening our first store in Melbourne, Australia. The city is a great centre of style and we hope to make Uniqlo an essential stop for fashion-conscious Melbourne shoppers looking for high quality, affordable clothes.

“Our goal is to build a loyal customer base by offering every visitor the outstanding level of customer service that Uniqlo is known for within Japan, in a comfortable and welcoming shopping environment."

The fashion retailer’s expansion into Australia marks the latest step in Uniqlo’s on-going expansion plans. It is also part of the brand’s growth strategy in the Asia Pacific region, where it views Australia as a “key market” in establishing its brand in the region, and the first step into other markets in the southern hemisphere.

Uniqlo is owned by Japanese group Fast Retailing, the world's fourth largest clothing retailer, which also owns the Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam and Theory brands.