Young women have become the driving force behind increased demand for fashion brand Uniqlo, which has cashed in on a series of viral products, the managing director of the British business revealed.
Alessandro Dudech, chief operating officer of Uniqlo UK, said Gen Z shoppers want clothes they can wear “both to the office and when going out”.
Shoppers under 29 accounted for about 16% of sales in 2019, but that share will more than double to 35% in 2023, Mr Dudech told the PA news agency.
Several products from the Japanese brand went viral on TikTok, especially the shoulder bag, which was dubbed the “Mary Poppins” accessory due to its compact size and surprising spaciousness.
Recently, the brand’s bra tops with built-in bra cups and wide-leg pleated pants have attracted attention on social media.
According to Dudech, the company makes the most of social media-driven trends but does not actively pursue them.
“We are clearly reaching a stronger target group of younger customers,” he told PA.
“But I think it’s also because Generation Z’s values when it comes to clothing are changing – they’re placing more and more importance on the quality of their clothes and are looking for versatile pieces.”
He announced that last year, sales of women’s clothing overtook men’s clothing for the first time.
Mr Dudech, who joined Uniqlo in 2012 as part of the manufacturing graduate program, said the flagship stores in Europe accounted for a large portion of the company’s profits.
The majority of the Japanese retailer’s more than 1,000 stores are located in Asia, but four of its European flagship stores are among the group’s top 10 worldwide.
A new flagship store opened on London’s Oxford Street on Thursday, featuring, among other things, “Magic Tacks” for automatically scanning items at self-service checkouts and an automated click-and-collect zone.
The shop in London’s Covent Garden, which opened last year, offers a bespoke embroidery service and an in-store repair service where holes can be patched and buttons replaced, as well as a Japanese tea room.
Mr Dudech said Uniqlo adapts its stores to the needs of each customer, such as commuters on the move or tourists who have more time.
He believes that in today’s environment, where shoppers can easily move online, stores need a “reason to exist,” adding: “They need to enrich the shopping experience.”
The brand’s parent company, Fast Retailing, invested in a technology called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, which are hidden in the brand’s clothing.
This labeling serves as the basis for the self-checkout system and helps the company keep track of inventory and reduce shoplifting.
Uniqlo plans to open ten stores in Europe in 2024, another 15 in 2025 and 20 in 2026.
According to company financial statements, sales in the UK and Europe rose by more than a third to 1.3 billion euros (1.1 billion pounds) in the period to the end of August.
