Uniqlo plans to expand in Australia

Uniqlo plans to expand in Australia

Big fashion player Uniqlo plans to open a brand new retail complex in Melbourne.JAPANESE fashion giant Uniqlo is the latest international retailer to set up shop in Australia, with plans to have multiple stores in Sydney and Melbourne by 2015. "Uniqlo has selected Emporium Melbourne, a brand new retail complex in the heart of Melbourne's city centre, as the location for its first official Australian presence," Fast Retailing said in a statement.

The move is the latest step in the ongoing international expansion of the company, which has more than 1,200 stores worldwide, and follows the establishment of branches all over Asia, as well as in London and New York. The Melbourne shop will be nearly 2,180 square metres (23,500 square feet) and will spread over four floors, the company said.

The announcement came as the world's largest Uniqlo shop threw open its doors in Shanghai, its 8,000 square metres dwarfing the flagship branch in Tokyo's Ginza district. Uniqlo's sister brand, GU, will have a spot inside the Shanghai store, its first foray into foreign markets, Fast Retailing has said.