About the Company
Uniqlo Company Limited is a Japanese casual wear brand, manufacturer and retailer. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. was established in March 1949 in Ube, Yamaguchi. Fast Retailing implemented a series of tactics from American retailer The Gap in 1997, dubbed 'SPA' (for specialty-store/retailer of private-label apparel), which meant they would manufacture their own clothing. In 2005, the company opened stores in the United States (New York City), Hong Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui), and South Korea (Seoul), with the latter being part of a joint venture with Lotte. Uniqlo had about 700 outlets in Japan as of the end of 2005, in addition to its overseas holdings. Sales had reached $4 billion by 2006. In April 2007, the firm had set a $10 billion annual revenue target and was ranked in the top 5 global retailers.