Uniqlo same-store sales up 4 per cent in July on stay-at-home demand

Women wearing face masks, following the coronavirus outbreak, walk past a store of the Fast Retailing’s fashion chain Uniqlo, at a shopping complex in Beijing in May. Reuters/Florence Lo.

Casual fashion brand Uniqlo’s Japanese same-store sales rose 4 per cent year on year in July as consumers stocked up on comfortable “stay at home” clothes amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, its owner, Fast Retailing Co, said.

The rise in domestic same-store sales, including online purchases, followed a 26-per-cent jump in June, which came after a three-month slump when the coronavirus outbreak kept shoppers at home and tourists away.

“Stay at home demand” lifted July sales, with items such as stretchy jogging pants and oversized T-shirts proving popular, the company said.

Analysts have said Uniqlo’s focus on practical, everyday clothes rather than more on-trend fashion may help it weather the coronavirus downturn better than global peers.

  • Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Robert Birsel.

You have 7 articles remaining. Unlock 15 free articles a month, it’s free.