Uniqlo is reportedly planning a major expansion in India, which will see its store network in the market increase fivefold to more than 100 within five years.

The expansion will focus on New Delhi and other major cities, Nikkei reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. 

The apparel retailer will import clothes from factories in Asia but also produce in India, as required by local authorities, the sources added.

Owned by Japanese retail giant Fast Retailing, Uniqlo is present in more than 25 markets, with a global network of over 2500 stores. The brand entered India in 2019 and, as of June, had 20 locations across the country, including at New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. 

The move is part of Uniqlo’s strategy to grow its footprint in the so-called Global South, which includes South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Compared to India, the brand’s presence in Southeast Asian markets is larger. It operates 81 stores in the Philippines, 78 in Indonesia, 73 in Thailand, 60 in Malaysia, and about 30 each in Singapore and Vietnam.

The brand’s combined sales in South Korea, Southeast Asia, India and Australia soared 32 per cent for the first nine months ended May. Sales in India and Southeast Asia alone continued to see double-digit growth.

“We see Asia as the next global growth centre in the long term,” Takeshi Okazaki, CFO of Fast Retailing, told Nikkei in a recent interview. “As we have successfully done in the US and Europe, Fast Retailing will strengthen its brand power in Asia, including by enhancing its product lineup and store operations.”