Uniqlo Europe plans to open its first Italian store in Milan in 2019.

A 3000 sqm site is being restructured in a palace on the Piazza Cordusio, in the town centre, says Transalpine newspaper Il Sole 24.

Owned by Fast Retailing, the Japanese casualwear brand confirmed it was seeking an Italian location when announcing its first-quarter results last month. According to the Italian media, the company is planning to open 30 sales points over five years, particularly in Florence and Rome.

Meanwhile, Uniqlo is about to open its 20th French boutique in Lyon, and will open its first Spanish store in the autumn, in Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona.

Italy is the brand’s seventh market in Europe, where it has nearly 50 locations.

Uniqlo has nearly 1940 stores worldwide, of which more than 800 are in its domestic market. The Fast Retailing group,which also owns J Brand and Theory, targets sales of €25 billion (US$28 billion) in sales by 2020, compared to the €15.5 billion it recorded for its latest fiscal period.