Uniqlo feels America is a tough market to crack. The brand’s share in the US retail clothing market is less than one per cent.

One reason is supposed to be differing tastes in clothing, which makes expansion especially tough. During the pandemic, many shoppers moved away from cities to seek more space to avoid infections, which impacted store locations and required the company to think more strategically about online sales.

Tastes also shifted toward comfortable clothing as people spent more time at home. The first Uniqlo store in the US opened in 2005 and the brand has to struggle since then. The clothing company now has 61 stores in the US. In China Uniqlo has some 900 stores. Europe has 112 Uniqlo outlets.

Known for its simple but fashionable take on everything from office wear to pajamas, Uniqlo has become a marketing and apparel phenomenon in its home market of Japan. It’s been able to replicate some of that success in other parts of Asia, as well as in Europe, but the North American market has been an elusive goal. But the target for the US is 200 stores in four years, with an operating margin of 20 per cent by 2027.