Grameen UNIQLO established a method so that all product-related processes can be completed
within Bangladesh - from raw materials procurement, to production, to logistics and, finally, the
sales of these products.
About
Truly great clothing for the people of Bangladesh.
Mission
Grameen UNIQLO's objective is to address issues related to poverty, public
sanitation, education, gender issues and the environment, by establishing a
sustainable, community-level business cycle. Local involvement in the design,
production and sale of clothing provides jobs, while helping to develop the economy
and improve the quality of life in the country.
Career Opportunities at UNIQLO
Unique Brand
UNIQLO is the flagship label of the FAST RETAILING group and has been changing the lives
of people through clothing since it opened its doors in 1984. Delivering high-quality, affordable
and innovative apparel and accessories, UNIQLO is Made for All. UNIQLO offers basic fashion
components with universal appeal to empower individuals to express their own sense of style.
UNIQLO was also the first company in Japan to establish itself as an integrated specialty store
retailer of private label apparel (SPA), overseeing all stages of the business to better control both
quality and price.
UNIQLO scours the world for the best materials, securing a stable, high-volume supply of topquality materials at low cost by negotiating directly with materials manufacturers. UNIQLO also
harnesses technology to develop new productssuch as our HEATTECH, Silky Dry and Ultra
Light Down linesto offer unprecedented function and comfort.
Unique Opportunities
With locations in over 15 countries and regions, UNIQLO is quickly becoming a household
name worldwide. UNIQLOs remarkable growth, innovation and focus on fostering business
managers mean unrivaled opportunities for employees.
We are committed to nurturing employees into true business managers. For example, our unique
UNIQLO Manager Candidate (UMC) positions for new graduates rapidly equip participants with
the skills to run a business. Within a short time, many employees manage stores or supervise
areas with millions of dollars in sales. At UNIQLO, personal growth, responsibility and
achievement are limited only by effort and ability.
Our business model means that we can offer truly diverse experiences that span multiple
locations, jobs and brands. We control every aspect of our business, from planning and
production to distribution and sales. We take risks on people and position them in roles just
outside their comfort zones. Employees at UNIQLO regularly rotate between divisions and roles.
This enables them to rapidly gain a comprehensive understanding of the business and contribute
as a business manager. In addition, unlike many companies that reserve international assignments
for senior management, UNIQLO regularly and aggressively dispatches employees at all levels
to work globally.
MISSION & VISION
UNIQLOs business is, and has always been, customer-driven, and customer-first. This is why
we have grown to where we are today, and why we believe we will continue to grow even further
in the future.
Products, stores, services, people, management. Everything we do it all centers around the
individual who wears the clothes.
Our clothes are worn by people across the world, creating much happiness, joy and satisfaction
in wearing them. We believe this is a good thing, and therein lies our philosophy.
We are building a company of the future. If a good business can provide clothing for people
across the world, its success can spawn a new industry, and if we can create a new industry, we
can definitely become number one in the world.
Uniqlo Co., Ltd.
Type
Wholly owned subsidiary
Fashion
Industry
Retail
Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan
Founded
1949
Midtown Tower, Akasaka
Headquarters
9-chome, Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Tadashi Yanai, Chairman, President &
CEO
Key people
Takahiro Wakabayashi, Senior Vice
President
Products Clothing
Employees 30,000 (2008)
Parent
Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.
Website
Uniqlo.co.jp
Uniqlo Co., Ltd. ( Kabushiki-gaisha yunikuro?) (pronounced "YOU-neeklo" in English[1]) 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, and is
listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In addition to Japan, the company operates in Australia, Bangladesh, China, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea,
Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
History
Origins in Japan
Uniqlo in Ginza, Tokyo.
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, Hiroshima
under the name "Unique Clothing Warehouse". It was at this time that the name "Uniqlo" was
born, as a contraction of "unique clothing". 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.
Private-label strategy
In 1997, Fast Retailing adopted a set of strategies from American retailer The Gap, known as
"SPA" (for specialty-store/retailer of private-label apparel), meaning that they would produce
their own clothing and sell it exclusively. Uniqlo had begun outsourcing their clothing
manufacturing to factories in China where labour was cheap, a well-established corporate
practice. Japan was in the depths of a recession at the time, and the low-cost goods proved
popular. Their advertising campaigns also proved fruitful.[2]
In creating its
clothing lines,
Uniqlo embraces
both shun and
kino-bi. Shun
means 'timing,
best timing, but
also at the same
time it's a trend,'
something that's
updated and just
in time, neither
early nor late.
The company
offers clothing
basics, but basics
that are current,
that respond to
what's going on
today in art and
design. Kino-bi
means function
and beauty,
joined together:
the clothing is
presented in an
organized,
rational manner,
and that very
organization and
rationality
creates an artistic
pattern and
rhythm. All these
qualities reflect
the defining
characteristics of
modern Japanese
culture, modern
'Japaneseness.'
Nobuo Domae, CEO, Uniqlo USA
(April 2007)[1]
In November 1998, they opened their first urban Uniqlo store in Tokyos trendy Harajuku
district, and outlets soon spread to major cities throughout Japan. In 2001, sales turnover and
gross profit reached a new peak, with over 500 retail stores in Japan. When Uniqlo decided to
expand overseas, it separated Uniqlo from the parent company,[1] and established Fast Retailing
(Jiangsu) Apparel Co., Ltd. in China. In 2002 their first Chinese Uniqlo outlet was opened in
Shanghai along with four overseas outlets in London, England.
But sales did not go well in England, and stocks in Japanese warehouses were overflowing. In
2002 and 2003, Uniqlo profits dropped sharply.[citation needed] In 2004, the company began joint
ventures with Japanese fashion magazines, and hired such celebrities as Norika Fujiwara to
appear in commercials. They teamed up with new designers, and profits rose, including at
London outlets. The acquisition of other fashion companies by Fast Retailing also helped the
struggling company get back on its feet.[citation needed]
Uniqlo in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.
2005 saw more overseas expansion, with stores opening in the United States (New York), Hong
Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui) and South Korea (Seoul), their South Korean expansion being part of a
joint venture with Lotte. As of year-end 2005, in addition to its overseas holdings, Uniqlo had
around 700 stores within Japan.[citation needed] By 2006 sales were $4 billion.[1] By April 2007, the
company had set a global sales goal of $10 billion and a ranking among the top five global
retailers, joining what at the time was Gap, H&M, Inditex, and Limited Brands.[1]
Fast Retailing signed a design consulting contract for Uniqlo products with fashion designer Jil
Sander in March 2009.[3] Shiatzy Chen has been approached by Uniqlo to produce a capsule
collection of ready to wear pieces to launch in November 2010 while Asia's largest Uniqlo store
outside Japan opened its doors in Kuala Lumpur in the same month.
Sporting events
Uniqlo furnished the uniforms for Japan's Olympic athletes in the 1998, 2002, and 2004 Olympic
Games, as well as the uniforms for J.League's Thespa Kusatsu team. Current No. 1 player in the
World Golf Ranking Adam Scott wore Uniqlo when he won the 2013 Masters at Augusta
National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, USA. Current No. 1 ATP tennis player Novak Djokovic
also wore Uniqlo shirts and shorts at the French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and Australian
Open, as does Japanese No. 1 Kei Nishikori.
2020 goals
On September 2, 2009, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. announced that the company would target annual
group sales of 5 trillion yen (about 61.2 billion US dollars) and pretax profit from operations of 1
trillion yen (about 12.2 billion US dollars) by 2020. This means that the company is aiming to
become the worlds biggest Specialty retailer of Private label Apparel with a continuous growth
rate of 20% per year. The figure breaks down as one trillion yen from Uniqlos Japan business,
three trillion yen from its international business, and one trillion yen from "Japan-related and
global brand business." [clarify] The companys international business target breaks down as one
trillion yen in China, one trillion in other Asian countries and one trillion in Europe and the
United States.[4]
Notable projects
Designers Invitation
The Uniqlo Designers Invitation Project saw the invitation of women's wear designers Phillip
Lim, Alice Roi, Tina Lutz and Marcia Patmos of Lutz & Patmos, Alper, and GVGV; and mens
wear designers Halb, Satoru Tanaka, and Alexandre Plokhov of Cloak to each design capsule
collections of eight looks for Spring/Summer 2007.
4 additional designers/labels were asked for the 2009 Designers Invitation Project. Women's
wear saw boutique owner Steven Alan and Shipley & Halmos, while men's wear include
Opening Ceremony and Gilded Age.
In October 2012 Uniqlo has teamed up with French label Comptoir des Cotonniers to create a
light down formula[38] jacket inspired by the iconic boxy-cut style fusing French fashion and
Japanese technology. "We wanted to use an easy sophisticated shape perfect for all elements of a
women's lifestyle." said Comptoir style director Delphine Ninous.[39]
T-shirt convenience store
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help
improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (December 2012)
A store concept called "UT Project", a futuristic convenience store for t-shirts, was launched on
April 28, 2007 in Harajuku, Tokyo. Each t-shirt style is displayed on forms in stainless steel
display cases, with individual t-shirts packaged in clear plastic canisters resembling tennis ball
cans. The t-shirts are stored on open shelves, making the shopping experience virtually selfservice.
The project featured a limited-edition collection of t-shirts designed by renowned artists,
designers, photographers and musicians including Terry Richardson, Nobuyoshi Araki, Bjorn
Copeland of Black Dice, Kim Jones, Peter Saville, Gareth Pugh.
Uniqlock
This section requires expansion. (September 2009)
Uniqlock, a web-based Flash widget as well as downloadable screensaver combination of MusicDance-Clock, was launched on June 15, 2007. Season 1[40] features four girls auditioned from
YouTube wearing Uniqlo's 20 color dry polo shirt, dancing freestyles similar to ballet, with
background music composed by Fantastic Plastic Machine. Blog-parts were Flash components
provided so that Uniqlock can be inserted into individual blog pages. Uniqlock soon gained
popularity, as shown in its World Uniqlock page. Until November 2008 there were up to 191
million clicks from over 200 countries, with up to 40,000 blog-parts in 88 countries. Uniqlock
Season 2,[41] launched in November 2007, featured Cashemere Knits, with the same dancers,
dance style, as well background. The movie quality was improved, and dancers would appear to
be asleep if the time in the specified region is nighttime. Also in each hour special clips would be
shown instead; Season 2 features 2 men playing music, doing cleanup chores. In season 3[42] 20
color t-shirt promotion, 4 new dancers were introduced in addition to the original 4, switched by
hour. On August 31, 2009, Season Six premiered in the new setting of Paris, France. The clock's
time was also changed to display the time in Paris.
Grameen UNIQLO
In 2010, UNIQLO partnered with Grameen Healthcare Trust in Bangladesh to promote social
businesses. The social businesses are aimed to address issues of poverty, illiteracy and poor
sanitation, by selling clothes that the poor can afford, with profits invested in these businesses.[43]
Within three years, the goal of this initiative is to create 1,500 jobs and have a total of 1 million
units of production and sales.[44]
Pharrell Williams' Capsule Collection
Pharrell Williams released a collection for Uniqlo in April 2014 entitled i am OTHER. It was
created with Nigo creative director of UT, the company's T-shirt division.
Awards
The German fashion designer Jil Sander, appreciated for her minimalist aesthetic, joined the
Uniqlo in 2009, and was appointed creative director of the brand's menswear and womenswear as well as launching a new label, +J collection, which won 2011 Brit Insurance Design Fashion
Award. Sander sees a thrill in offering a utopian ideal of high-quality clothing to the masses. 'I
like the concept of basic clothes in a democratic world,' she said. 'Uniqlo reminds me of Apple
Computers; fantastic design for everyone. And I like what is Japanese about Uniqlo, a strong
sense of tradition, the orderly approach to everything, great know-how and logistics.'[45]
- Japanese Technology
- The social business shares clothing production technologies, customer service standards and
store development expertise from Japan with the people of Bangladesh.
- Comfortable clothing made of functional materials -- perfect for the hot and humid climate of
Bangladesh
- Comfortable clothing for the people of Bangladesh, regardless of age or gender
The Stores in the City
Mirpur 10 Store
1st floor,
Sumon Plaza, Plot#08, Begum Rokeya Sharoni,
Mirpur 10, Dhaka
Mohammadpur Krishi Market Store
1st floor,
6A/1, Block# F, Join Quarter, Bazar road,
Krishi market, Mohammadpur, Dhaka
Wari Store
1st floor,
18/D, Rankin street, Wari, Dhaka
Kakoi Store
Ground floor of H,
101, Kakoli, Banani, Dhaka
Naya Paltan Store
Ground floor of 40/1,
D, VIP Road,
New Paltan, Dhaka
New Elephant Road
First Floor,
234/2, New Elephant Road (Dr. Kudrat E Khuda Road), Dhaka
Banasree
Ground Floor,
41/8 Block C, Banasree, Rampura, Dhaka
The Stores in suburban and rural areas
Grameen UNIQLO has been educating GRAMEEN ladies (borrowers of the GRAMEEN Bank)
to be sales assistants and conducting the sales activity by door to door sales.
To begin, I express my sincere condolences for the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse,
and their families and friends. I am truly sorry for your loss.
Bangladesh is a country with enormous potential and a thriving sewing industry. As a company,
we are committed to working with reliable partners, to further develop our social business and
give back to local communities.
Our mission is to do more than provide quality apparel. We aim to unleash the inherent value in
clothing, to improve lives and change society for the better. Simply, we want people worldwide
to experience the joy of wearing truly great clothing.
Our social business in Bangladesh began in agricultural communities.
Now, we expect to open retail outlets in urban areas. Our social business initiatives are built upon
UNIQLOs expertise in production and sales. They provide jobs at the community level, while
giving us the opportunity to offer comfortable and affordable clothing, of the highest quality. We
help to produce clothes by locals, for locals.
We reinvest all profits back into our social business, to establish a stable business cycle that can
help to address issues related to poverty, hygiene and education. Through these efforts, we hope
to continue to enrich peoples lives and promote sustainable self-sufficiency. Our goal is to use
the power of clothing to contribute to the economy and raise living standards for the people of
Bangladesh.
Thank you.
Tadashi Yanai
Chairman, President and CEO
Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.
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