Q&A: Does Uniqlo Franchise in the UK?

Alice Tuffery, writer

Published at 27/05/2019, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 5 min

Q&A: Does Uniqlo Franchise in the UK? — Photo © uniqlo-franchise-uk.png

If you’re desperate to become a Uniqlo franchisee, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at the world-famous retail giant. Read on to find out whether Uniqlo franchises, and what other retail clothing franchises there are out there.

Uniqlo is a Japanese fashion brand known for its stylish casualwear. Its items have been worn by celebrities including Orlando Bloom and Robert Pattinson, which is testament to the quality of the business’ reasonably priced clothing. But does Uniqlo franchise? Let’s find out.

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History of Uniqlo

Uniqlo was founded in Yamaguchi, Japan in 1949, but it wasn’t until 1984 that it opened the doors to its first retail store. Since then, the fashion business has focused on providing simple, well-designed clothes at affordable prices. Today, Uniqlo is an international fashion brand, renowned for its blend of style and comfort. It has both brick-and-mortar and online stores all across the world.

Does Uniqlo franchise?

Unfortunately, Uniqlo doesn’t offer franchise opportunities in any territory across the world. All its stores are company owned and operated, and it doesn’t have any plans to change the franchise model in the future.

To provide more information, Uniqlo is wholly owned by its parent brand, Fast Retailing, a public Japanese retail holding company. Uniqlo is its primary brand, sitting alongside smaller brands such as J Brand, Comptoir des Cotonniers, G.U. and Theory.

As with many traditional retail brands, Uniqlo follows a traditional corporate structure, in which regional managers are appointed to oversee areas, and store managers take charge of the day-to-day running of each location. All the profits and losses then go directly back to Fast Retailing and towards the salaries of store managers.

How to get involved with Uniqlo

As we’ve mentioned, you cannot become a franchisee with Uniqlo at the moment, so the only way you can get involved with the brand is by working within the business. If you’re interested in finding out what corporate roles it is currently advertising, you can browse Uniqlo jobs here.

But, if you’re interested in running your own business in the retail sector, don’t despair. We have plenty of retail franchise opportunities on our books. To browse your options, just click here. Or, to find out about retail franchises that operate in the fashion sector, keep on reading.

Similar franchising opportunities

If you’re looking to open your own franchise in the world of fashion retail, there are plenty of exciting opportunities for you. Here is our pick of the bunch:

Noa Noa

Bring the spirit of the Bohemian woman to your local high street with a Noa Noa franchise. This sustainable fashion franchise retails clothes that are made with the intention of representing strong women and allowing customers to feel like their true selves. In a world of fast-fashion, Noa Noa prides itself on offering a collection that will stand the test of time. Its clothes feature great attention to detail and striking colour contrasts.

All clothing collections are designed in Denmark and produced across the world, making Noa Noa a brand with the potential to go global. It’s a proud member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative and makes sure it operates ethically. Since it was founded in 1981, Noa Noa has opened more than 90 concept stores and can be found in over 350 multi-brand stores across the globe.

Becoming a Noa Noa franchisee: Noa Noa is looking for people with previous experience in the fashion industry to help expand the business. So, whether you’ve run your own company or worked in a managerial role in another store, Noa Noa want to hear from you.
How much you need to invest: You’ll need to be prepared to invest at least £40,000 to get your store up and running.
What you get for your investment: Franchisees will also be able to access guidance and support whenever they need it. As part of the initial set-up process, store designer Christian Baumann will spend three days at each new location to ensure everything goes to plan. And to make sure your store is dressed to impress, visual merchandiser Satijana Blazeska will create stunning displays ready for your grand opening. What’s more, you’ll also be able to access marketing materials, training for your staff, as well as seasonal materials throughout the year.

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French Connection

Since 1972, French Connection has been supplying quality and affordable fashion and homeware to men, women and children across the world. Through its main distribution channels – retail stores, e-commerce, wholesale and licensing – the brand delivers its products to customers in more than 50 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

This high street shop offers a range of different brands available in-store and online, which include TOAST (beautifully crafted clothing and distinctive homeware), Great Plains (a fashion basics range) and YMC (modern, edgy fashion).

Becoming a French Connection franchisee: With around 100 brand-owned stores and 200 franchised and licensed outlets, the company has a strong presence both nationally and internationally. Now, it’s looking for investors to increase its coverage even further. When joining the brand, you will apply to open and run a franchise store in Europe, the Middle East, Asia or Australia.
How much you need to invest: French Connection hasn’t revealed how much it could cost to become a franchisee, but you can find out more by contacting the brand.
What you get for your investment: Again, the fashion franchise doesn’t provide details about the franchise process, but if you’re interested in the opportunity, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the business itself. Or, click here to read more.

Become a fashion franchisee today

Although there’s no way to open a Uniqlo franchise at the moment, there’s no reason why you couldn’t set up a profitable franchise venture with another retail clothing business. We’ve highlighted two of the options, but there are plenty more out there. To find out about other options, read our fashion articles, which reveal more: