Uniqlo Annual Report
FA S T R E TA I L I N G C O . , LT D .
Annual Report 2005
Year ended August 31, 2005
contents
A message from the Chairman, President & CEO Our Group UNIQLO business Business model Products Production Stores People Overseas activities 6 11 14 14 16 18 20 22 23 CSR Corporate history Financial section Investor information Corporate information M&A strategy COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS FOOT PARK Theory 24 25 26 27 28 30 32 54 55
It all started here
The origin of our “anybody, anywhere, everyday” concept
At UNIQLO, our goal is to offer casual wear that can be worn by anybody, anywhere, everyday. This basic concept has guided our actions since the birth of our very first store. When UNIQLO first opened its doors in a corner of a busy shopping district in central Hiroshima on June 2, 1984, it was six o’clock in the morning! The store opened early in the morning so that people could shop before going to work or school. To encourage people to drop in and browse around as they would in a bookshop or music store, we devised a store layout with the casual atmosphere of a warehouse. The second shop, launched in a suburban location, gained popularity as a casual-clothing shop that attracted people of all ages. This feature continues to be a mark of UNIQLO stores today.
1984
Famous for fleece
expansion exceed customer expectations. We subsequently applied this experience to the marketing of clothing made of other hit fabrics, for instance cashmere and our unique “Dry” summer fabric.
Innovation in casual wear earns us national recognition
In the early years, UNIQLO stores did not specialize in original clothing items. However, we believed that to offer customers truly excellent casual wear at astonishingly low prices, it was necessary to maintain close control over every aspect of the business, from product planning, the development and procurement of fabrics and clothing design all the way through to manufacturing, distribution and sales. Over the years, we
Annual Report 2005
Year ended August 31, 2005
contents
A message from the Chairman, President & CEO Our Group UNIQLO business Business model Products Production Stores People Overseas activities 6 11 14 14 16 18 20 22 23 CSR Corporate history Financial section Investor information Corporate information M&A strategy COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS FOOT PARK Theory 24 25 26 27 28 30 32 54 55
It all started here
The origin of our “anybody, anywhere, everyday” concept
At UNIQLO, our goal is to offer casual wear that can be worn by anybody, anywhere, everyday. This basic concept has guided our actions since the birth of our very first store. When UNIQLO first opened its doors in a corner of a busy shopping district in central Hiroshima on June 2, 1984, it was six o’clock in the morning! The store opened early in the morning so that people could shop before going to work or school. To encourage people to drop in and browse around as they would in a bookshop or music store, we devised a store layout with the casual atmosphere of a warehouse. The second shop, launched in a suburban location, gained popularity as a casual-clothing shop that attracted people of all ages. This feature continues to be a mark of UNIQLO stores today.
1984
Famous for fleece
expansion exceed customer expectations. We subsequently applied this experience to the marketing of clothing made of other hit fabrics, for instance cashmere and our unique “Dry” summer fabric.
Innovation in casual wear earns us national recognition
In the early years, UNIQLO stores did not specialize in original clothing items. However, we believed that to offer customers truly excellent casual wear at astonishingly low prices, it was necessary to maintain close control over every aspect of the business, from product planning, the development and procurement of fabrics and clothing design all the way through to manufacturing, distribution and sales. Over the years, we