Japanese brand Muji is now in Malaysia.
The homewares and travel retail chain opened its first store at Kuala Lumpur’s Pavilion shopping mall in the Bukit Bintang business district on Saturday.
The new Muji store carries more than 4000 items ranging from household wares to clothing and stationery, with Muji’s hallmarks of functionality, design minimalism and ‘anti-brand’ approach.
Items such as skincare, foods and electrical products are to be offered later once additional licensing requirements are met. Malaysia prices are expected to be 20 to 30 per cent higher than those of Japan due to sales tax and import duties imposed by the Malaysian government.
“We have been making plans (to set up stores) for Malaysia several years ago as there is a following for our products and Malaysians, especially in Kuala Lumpur, have a high purchasing power,” Muji MD Akihiro Kamogari said.
Muji plans five store openings over the next three years with second Malaysian store likely to open by the year’s end in Klang Valley.
Muji Malaysia, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Muji Singapore operation, is Muji’s 22nd country, the Pavilion store the brand’s 549th store globally.
Meanwhile, Muji plans to add outlets in its existing European markets including France and Sweden. It also aims to enter new markets in Europe through directly owned stores or franchisees.
The Japanese retailer, which has 12 stores in the UK, posted a strong performance in its European markets, showing revenue up four per cent year on year to £61.18 million (US$97.05 million).
GB
