ID :
19435
Sun, 09/14/2008 - 07:57
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/19435
The shortlink copeid
Sweden's H&M opens 1st shop in Japan's flagging clothing market
TOKYO, Sept. 13 Kyodo - Swedish fashion retailer H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB on Saturday opened its first store in Japan in Tokyo's posh Ginza shopping district, entering the nation's flagging clothing market with fashionable but inexpensive items.
About 3,000 people lined up before the 11 a.m. opening, with a group of women in the apparel industry who had stood in line since 8 p.m. Friday.
''I used to buy H&M clothing when I went abroad. I'm so happy because now I can buy them nearby,'' said a woman in the group who identified herself only as Sayuri in her 30s from Tokyo.
After a short tape-cutting ceremony attended by Rolf Eriksen, chief executive
officer of the Stockholm-based company, the long-awaiting customers entered the
store as H&M staff applauded.
''It has been my personal dream to open a shop in Tokyo for many, many years,''
Eriksen said in a recent interview at the new shop.
Describing Tokyo as a ''fashion capital,'' Eriksen said the city could be a
''big market'' for his company and H&M has a long-term perspective on doing
business here.
The debut in Japan of the world's third-largest apparel retailer in terms of
sales follows the entry into Japan many years earlier of larger rivals Gap Inc.
and Zara of the Inditex Group.
This will be virtually the first year in which Japan is thrown into full
competition with global rivals, Tadashi Yanai, head of Fast Retailing Co., said
of H&M's debut in Japan. Fast Retailing Co., is the operator of Japan's leading
casual clothing chain Uniqlo.
H&M's entry to the Japanese market comes at a time when consumers in the
country are tightening their purse strings in the face of rising prices for
food, fuel and other necessities, and an economic slowdown.
But H&M sees the economic slowdown as an opportunity to expand because of its
reasonable prices.
''Now is the time our concept, fashion and quality at the best price, becomes
more important, and I think people still like to enjoy fashion,'' despite the
weaker economy, said Christine Edman, who is in charge of H&M's Japan
operations.
H&M also chose this time to open in Japan as it has found ''the best
locations,'' close to competitors and a lot of customers, she said.
The new H&M store, located near rivals like Spain's Zara and Uniqlo, has a
spacious black and white interior, with four floors of men's and women's
clothing.
Edman said the Ginza store has been designed with an elegant and artistic eye
to attract customers in the high-end shopping district.
H&M plans to open two more stores in Tokyo. One opening in Harajuku on Nov. 8
will focus more on casual clothing for young people. The other opening in
Shibuya in fall 2009 will be for the family, offering a full lineup, including
items for children. H&M is considering opening more stores in other parts of
Japan, Edman said
The retailer does not own any factories but outsources its clothing production
to 800 independent suppliers, primarily in low labor cost Asian and Eastern
European countries. Its clothing is developed by around 100 in-house designers.
The business model cuts out the middleman and helps H&M to introduce new items
in stores every day at the right time and reasonably priced, Edman said.
H&M sells a women's dress for around 4,000 yen and a range of accessories for
several hundred yen.
''They are so cheap, and there are various selections. I love to come here
again when the store is not so crowded,'' Chiaki Matsuoka, a 17-year-old female
high school student, said.
The Tokyo store opening is in line with H&M's plan to expand the number of
stores by around 10-15 percent each year.
It first entered the Asian market last year, opening stores in Shanghai and
Hong Kong. It is scheduled to open franchise stores in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
and Oman later this year, and to enter the Russian market next year.
The company currently operates about 1,600 stores in 30 countries.
In Japan, clothing sales at department stores fell for the 13th consecutive
month through July. Sales at supermarket stores have also taken a beating.
Uniqlo is considered one of the few winners in the Japanese apparel industry.
==Kyodo
About 3,000 people lined up before the 11 a.m. opening, with a group of women in the apparel industry who had stood in line since 8 p.m. Friday.
''I used to buy H&M clothing when I went abroad. I'm so happy because now I can buy them nearby,'' said a woman in the group who identified herself only as Sayuri in her 30s from Tokyo.
After a short tape-cutting ceremony attended by Rolf Eriksen, chief executive
officer of the Stockholm-based company, the long-awaiting customers entered the
store as H&M staff applauded.
''It has been my personal dream to open a shop in Tokyo for many, many years,''
Eriksen said in a recent interview at the new shop.
Describing Tokyo as a ''fashion capital,'' Eriksen said the city could be a
''big market'' for his company and H&M has a long-term perspective on doing
business here.
The debut in Japan of the world's third-largest apparel retailer in terms of
sales follows the entry into Japan many years earlier of larger rivals Gap Inc.
and Zara of the Inditex Group.
This will be virtually the first year in which Japan is thrown into full
competition with global rivals, Tadashi Yanai, head of Fast Retailing Co., said
of H&M's debut in Japan. Fast Retailing Co., is the operator of Japan's leading
casual clothing chain Uniqlo.
H&M's entry to the Japanese market comes at a time when consumers in the
country are tightening their purse strings in the face of rising prices for
food, fuel and other necessities, and an economic slowdown.
But H&M sees the economic slowdown as an opportunity to expand because of its
reasonable prices.
''Now is the time our concept, fashion and quality at the best price, becomes
more important, and I think people still like to enjoy fashion,'' despite the
weaker economy, said Christine Edman, who is in charge of H&M's Japan
operations.
H&M also chose this time to open in Japan as it has found ''the best
locations,'' close to competitors and a lot of customers, she said.
The new H&M store, located near rivals like Spain's Zara and Uniqlo, has a
spacious black and white interior, with four floors of men's and women's
clothing.
Edman said the Ginza store has been designed with an elegant and artistic eye
to attract customers in the high-end shopping district.
H&M plans to open two more stores in Tokyo. One opening in Harajuku on Nov. 8
will focus more on casual clothing for young people. The other opening in
Shibuya in fall 2009 will be for the family, offering a full lineup, including
items for children. H&M is considering opening more stores in other parts of
Japan, Edman said
The retailer does not own any factories but outsources its clothing production
to 800 independent suppliers, primarily in low labor cost Asian and Eastern
European countries. Its clothing is developed by around 100 in-house designers.
The business model cuts out the middleman and helps H&M to introduce new items
in stores every day at the right time and reasonably priced, Edman said.
H&M sells a women's dress for around 4,000 yen and a range of accessories for
several hundred yen.
''They are so cheap, and there are various selections. I love to come here
again when the store is not so crowded,'' Chiaki Matsuoka, a 17-year-old female
high school student, said.
The Tokyo store opening is in line with H&M's plan to expand the number of
stores by around 10-15 percent each year.
It first entered the Asian market last year, opening stores in Shanghai and
Hong Kong. It is scheduled to open franchise stores in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
and Oman later this year, and to enter the Russian market next year.
The company currently operates about 1,600 stores in 30 countries.
In Japan, clothing sales at department stores fell for the 13th consecutive
month through July. Sales at supermarket stores have also taken a beating.
Uniqlo is considered one of the few winners in the Japanese apparel industry.
==Kyodo
