Uniqlo readying fifth roadside store
Uniqlo Thailand Co will open a fifth roadside store in Thailand in Bangkok’s Min Buri area next month after launching the fourth in Pin Klao last Friday.
The company wants to capitalise on strong purchasing power for fashion apparel at the location.
Chief operating officer Tomoyoshi Oguri said the Min Buri shop will be a stand-alone, while the Pin Klao store is inside home improvement retailer Boonthavorn’s branch on Borommaratchachonnani Road.
“For roadside store expansion, we will consider purchasing power in those locations and potential to attract customers away from a shopping mall,” Mr Oguri said. “The population must be over 100,000.”
According to property research, the Pin Klao-Phutthamonthon area features residential supply at various prices from 1.5 million baht for a condo unit up to 120 million baht for a superluxury single detached house.
Mr Oguri said there was demand from residents in Pin Klao to have a Uniqlo roadside store after the company opened its first two on Phatthanakan Road and Soi LaSalle in March and June last year.
The Phatthanakan shop was the company’s first roadside store in Southeast Asia and the world’s fourth after ones in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing retailer, is studying expansion of roadside stores in key provinces. The minimum shopping area is 1,000 square metres, Mr Oguri said.
The company has had a presence in Thailand for nine years. Last Friday it opened its fourth roadside store and 48th branch, Uniqlo Roadside Boonthavorn, in that company’s Pin Klao branch on Borommaratchachonnani Road in Thawi Wattana district. It has an area of 805 sq m.
The Pin Klao branch provides clickand-collect, a service for customers who buy products online for pickup. Uniqlo launched e-commerce in 2016, and online represents 5% of total sales in Southeast Asia.
Earlier this month, Uniqlo opened branches in Chiang Rai and at Central Embassy. Last Friday it opened a store at Index Living Mall Chaiyapruek.