PRI reports that Uniqlo’s expansion into the US hasn’t been very successful, partly because Americans are having a difficult time fitting into clothes originally sized for the Japanese market. An excerpt:
And Uniqlo’s US operations aren’t doing so well. They have more than 25 stores on both coasts and they’re collectively losing money for the company. One of their biggest challenges in breaking into the US mainstream market is sizing.
Yuya Tanahashi, Uniqlo’s Boston area manager, calls it an ongoing struggle for the brand. “We are actually analyzing every year about the fit,” he says.
Basically, they’re checking sales data in each of their stores around the world, including here in Boston. “We’re going to try to find the best fit for the Boston customers as well by analyzing what items sell and what sizes sell,” Tanahashi says.
Uniqlo is looking into changing the sizes they offer in the US. In their words, they’re figuring out how to provide “a more ‘3D’ fit” for American shoppers.
So all those glorious form-flattering Smalls in the Boston store? They may not be small for long. But Tanahashi did offer me this: “We have kids line as well, and many adults actually purchase [clothes from the] kids line, meaning the boys and the girls style. So I would try to recommend the girls style as well.”
You can read the rest here.
