Uniqlo's sister brand GU expands to US with flagship store in New York

15 May '24

2 min read

Pic: Fast Retailing

Insights

GU, the sister brand of UNIQLO, is set to open its first overseas flagship store, GU NY SOHO, in New York's SoHo district in fall 2024.
The store will span two floors and feature clothing for men and women, as well as accessories such as shoes and bags.
Concurrently, GU will launch an online store with the same range of products, available nationwide.

GU, the Japanese apparel retailer and sister brand of UNIQLO, announces the opening of GU NY SOHO, the brand's first overseas flagship store, as well as its online store, in fall 2024. Located on the main street of SoHo, New York, the store will offer women's and men's clothing across two floors, as well as a selection of on-trend products, including shoes, bags, and accessories. The online store with the same product lineup as the physical store will also launch at the same time, delivering GU products nationwide.

With a sales floor area of about 10,225 ft², GU NY SOHO will be a showcase for the GU brand concept, conveying the latest fashions to customers around the world. The opening of a store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York--an area with a gathering of people of diverse cultures, values, and lifestyles--is a major step toward GU becoming a global fashion brand. The pop-up store in New York, which is currently open, is scheduled to close in the summer of 2024.

GU CEO Osamu Yunoki commented: "For about a year and a half since opening our first pop-up store in the U.S. in the fall of 2022, we have been able to provide GU products to many customers, so we have great expectations for our business development in the U.S. We have applied what we learned from the pop-up store to establish a framework for product development and business operations at a global level, and we are extremely pleased to be officially opening a store in the United States this fall. We will also launch our online store at the same time, and hope that even more customers will enjoy GU fashion."

GU (pronounced as the letters "G" and "U") was established in 2006 as a sister brand of UNIQLO, and currently operates approximately 470 stores in Asia, mainly in Japan. This is the first official opening of a store outside of Asia. In September 2023, the company established a Product Division in New York to promote product development at a global level. Going forward, GU will strengthen local recruitment of designers, pattern makers, and other positions to establish the foundation of a product development base, aiming for further business expansion.