Uniqlo's Japan monthly sales disappoint again

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 4, 2022

Fast Retailing’s biggest chain, Uniqlo, has endured a string of weak months in its domestic Japanese market and its seems that March was no different.

On Monday, the company reported its monthly figures and said that March 2022 same-store sales — including online — fell by as much as 10.7% year on year last month. Meanwhile total sales including online dropped by a narrower, but still worrying, 7.7%.

While the weather was partly to blame as is so often the case with Uniqlo, the company also said that sales slumbered due to problems of its own making.

“Same-store sales declined year on year in March on subdued sales of spring ranges in the face of cold weather during the month and a lack of newsworthy items”, it explained.

The retailer clearly has work to do to add essential newness and excitement to its offer as the spring season gets under way, regardless of the weather playing ball or not.

Its figures also showed that customer numbers lagged the total for the year to date, although those who were spending seemed to be spending more than the average for the year so far.

Uniqlo’s Japanese ops have had a run of disappointing months stretching back almost a year.