Will Uniqlo find success with its denim-only concept shop?

Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo may be going niche as it continues to seek its place in the U.S. apparel landscape. The chain is opening a new concept focused entirely on denim. The denim-only concept shop is slated to open in Los Angeles, making it the 47th Uniqlo store in the U.S. and the ninth in the Los Angeles area, according to a press release. The shop will feature the full line of Uniqlo's denim offerings as well as some complementary clothing. The new concept store appears to be the next step in a strategy centered around high-end denim that began with last year's introduction of the Denim Innovation Center, opened by Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing. The research and development facility also in Los Angeles, purports to pursue technological advancements in such areas of denim production as the development of new materials and fit. Locating both the new concept and the R&D facility in Los Angeles is a move intended to take advantage of the city's reputation as a hub for high-end denim. Uniqlo has notoriously bounced back and forth between expansion strategies in the U.S. over the last decade. Early on, Uniqlo established itself as a fashionable but affordable retailer with a single destination store in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood and without online sales. In 2011 it shifted gears, announcing a plan to open 200 stores in the U.S. by 2020, as reported by Reuters at that time. But after opening stores at a faster rate in suburban malls, the company backed away from the expansion, according to CNBC. The chain has recently begun closing mall locations to refocus its efforts on urban markets. Uniqlo has made other creative moves to find a fit in the U.S. It is one of a couple of retailers that have recently tried using vending machines to sell its products in airports. Despite its stateside difficulties, Uniqlo continues to be successful in Asia and elsewhere globally. Fast Retailing remains the third largest global specialty apparel brand and has stated that it aims to overtake Inditex, owner of Zara, as the largest. 

• UNIQLO to Open Denim Concept Shop in Los Angeles – Uniqlo
• Denim Innovation Center – Uniqlo
• Can vending units help Uniqlo achieve success in the U.S.? – RetailWire
• Uniqlo starts U.S. expansion, eyes 200 stores – Reuters
• As retailers close stores, the world's third-largest apparel player takes another run at the US – CNBC
• Uniqlo sees U.S. as land of retailing opportunity – RetailWire