KUALA LUMPUR: Japanese global apparel retailer Uniqlo will be launching a new concept of a roadside, community-based store in Bandar Sri Damansara, a township that are surrounded by residentials, schools and office buildings.
Scheduled to open in December 2020, the new roadside store will have shopping space designed to accommodate some of the essential needs of the surrounding community.
Uniqlo Malaysia and Singapore chief executive officer Yuki Yamada said Uniqlo's first roadside store at DA Square @ Damansara Avenue marks the company's continuous expansion in this market.
"Uniqlo turns 10 in Malaysia this November. Over the years, we have developed a strong presence here with an online store and 51 physical stores in shopping malls located in major cities and towns across 12 states.
"It is a new type of store for Malaysia that complements our existing network of mall-based stores. Our new store is carefully designed to ensure enough space and accessibility for all, including families with children, elderly people and people with disability, and will feature its own car park for our customers.
"Essentially, the new Uniqlo roadside store will serve as a close-to-home store for customers in Bandar Sri Damansara and surrounding townships, giving locals the chance to enjoy a quick and convenient trip to Uniqlo," he said.
Uniqlo's first roadside store in Japan opened in 1985.
Malaysia will be the fifth country outside Japan and the third in Southeast Asia to have a roadside concept store following successful launches of the store format in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines.
Uniqlo continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a global brand.
Today the company has more than 2,200 stores in 25 markets including Japan.
In alphabetical order, the other markets are Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK, the US and Vietnam.
In addition, Uniqlo established a social business in Bangladesh together with the Grameen Bank in 2010, and today there are more than 15 Grameen-Uniqlo stores, mostly located in Dhaka.