The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Japan’s Fast Retailing, the owner of clothing brand Uniqlo, on Thursday reported a 23 percent jump in half-yearly operating profit and raised its full-year profit estimate, helped by a robust performance in China.
The company has been among the most resilient retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Uniqlo’s focus on China and Japan helped it escape the worst of the downturn that hit the United States and Europe.
“Sales and profits in China exceeded our projections,” chief financial officer Takeshi Okazaki told reporters in Tokyo. “Profitability rose because we were able to limit discounts as we tried to improve our product value and branding.”
Fast Retailing operates around 800 Uniqlo stores on the mainland, about the same number as its home market of Japan.
ADVERTISEMENT
Earnings at the company’s China business will continue to rise significantly throughout the year, while operations in the United States and Europe will post losses due to business restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, he said.
Fast Retailing said operating profit was 168 billion yen ($1.53 billion) in the six months through February, against 136.7 billion yen a year earlier.
The company raised its full-year operating profit forecast to 255 billion yen from 245 billion yen. The average estimate in a Refinitiv poll of 15 analysts was 262.9 billion yen.
During the pandemic, Uniqlo briskly sold masks and saw strong demand for its stay-at-home jogging pants and other comfortable apparel.
However, the company is now dealing with crises in Myanmar and China that are upsetting its supply chain and one of its most important foreign markets.
Western brands including H&M, Burberry, Nike and Adidas have been hit by consumer boycotts in China amid concerns about forced labour in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer. Five brand ambassadors for Fast Retailing in China have quit amid the backlash.
CEO Tadashi Yanai told reporters that the company remains politically neutral and declined to comment on issues related to alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.
Fires broke out at two of Fast Retailing’s partner factories in Myanmar last month amid unrest that followed a military coup. The company has had to halt operations at some facilities in the country due to the imposition of martial law.
By Junko Fujita and Rocky Swift; editors: Muralikumar Anantharaman, Shailesh Kuber and Jan Harvey.
The rental platform saw its stock soar last week after predicting it would hit a key profitability metric this year. A new marketing push and more robust inventory are the key to unlocking elusive growth, CEO Jenn Hyman tells BoF.
Nordstrom, Tod’s and L’Occitane are all pushing for privatisation. Ultimately, their fate will not be determined by whether they are under the scrutiny of public investors.
The company is in talks with potential investors after filing for insolvency in Europe and closing its US stores. Insiders say efforts to restore the brand to its 1980s heyday clashed with its owners’ desire to quickly juice sales in order to attract a buyer.
The humble trainer, once the reserve of football fans, Britpop kids and the odd skateboarder, has become as ubiquitous as battered Converse All Stars in the 00s indie sleaze years.