Uniqlo ramps up Scotland expansion

The Japanese retailer is understood to be close to signing a lease in St Enoch shopping centre on Argyle Street, Glasgow, with plans to redevelop the site, which currently has a number of smaller units.

If the deal and redevelopment plan go ahead, the retailer will have a 44-meter frontage between the entrance to the shopping centre and the H&M store at 55 St Enoch Square.

It comes after Uniqlo signed a store in the former BHS building on Princes Street in Edinburgh earlier this year, which is set to open in spring 2024, marking its first store in Scotland. The company has submitted an application to Edinburgh Council to add signs with their logo to the shopfront of the historic building.

In July, Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing reported a 2.8% increase in profits year on year to £1.8bn (¥330,574) for the nine months ended 31 May 2023. Revenue also jumped for the business, reaching £11.8bn (¥2,143,504), an increase of 21.4% compared with 2022.

Fast Retailing said at the time that it is working hard “to accelerate new store openings in all markets and to strengthen [its] ecommerce operations” for the Uniqlo brand. It currently has 17 stores in the UK with 15 being in London and surrounding areas such as Watford and Dartford. Regional locations include Manchester and Oxford.

Uniqlo and St Enoch shopping centre declined to comment.