Fast Retailing fashion giant Uniqlo vows to hire “hundreds” for flagship shop at Melbourne’s Emporium

Jane Harper Retail
October 02, 2013
Herald Sun

The clothing brand has flagged its ambition to be “No.1” on the Australian retail scene by winning the hearts and minds of local shoppers.

Uniqlo’s Australian chief executive, Shoichi Miyasaka, said group’s future success in the local market would be driven by the performance of the flagship store – due to open in the Emporium development in Lonsdale St next March or April.

“Every new country is a new challenge for us,” Mr Miyasaka told BusinessDaily while visiting Melbourne to promote the brand’s Australian launch.

“We are currently determining our strategy for Australia for the next three years, but it all depends on the first store’s success.”

Mr Miyasaka, also deputy chief executive of the retailer’s parent, Fast Retailing, said excellent in-store service was a key component of the Uniqlo brand.

He said the Melbourne store would employ “several hundred” shop floor and backroom staff to work across its four levels.

Eighteen Australian university graduates are on a four-month management training scheme in Japan and Singapore to give them the skills to run Uniqlo stores and train colleagues to the expected high standards.

With local department stores Myer and David Jones facing customer criticism in recent years for cutting back on their shopfloor service, Mr Miyasaka said Uniqlo would surprise shoppers.
“Even among Japanese companies, Uniqlo is known for its customer service,” he said.

“Our people are very well trained in how to pay attention to customers and also how not to annoy customers.

“We are from Japan so we care about detail.”

Mr Miyasaka said the brand, which has 1300 stores in 14 markets around the world, aimed to make a serious mark on the Australian retail landscape.

“Our intention is to be No.1 in terms of size, brand awareness and trust,” he said.

“When people think about fashion, we want them to think first about Uniqlo.”

The group is already eyeing opportunities for further stores in Melbourne, Sydney and around the nation.

And while the group follows in the successful footsteps of other international interlopers Topshop and Zara, Mr Miyasaka said Uniqlo was not looking to compete head-to-head with established local brands.

He said he hoped the buzz around Uniqlo’s launch would help stimulate consumer spending and foot traffic across the retail sector.

“We as a single company cannot create the market, but as a sector we can,” he said.

“Uniqlo is about innovation and our objective to is create something new.”