75 °F
A first in Texas history, Uniqlo, a beloved Japanese clothing store, could land in Houston as soon as this year.
The retailer recently filed a permit with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to lock down a more than 21,000-square-foot space in Houston’s Memorial City Mall later this year. The space is currently occupied by retail giant Forever 21.
Uniqlo was originally founded in Yamaguchi, Japan first as a textile manufacturer in 1949. The first Uniqlo brick-and-mortar store was opened in Hiroshima in 1984. The “fast fashion” retailer has since amounted to more than 1,000 storefronts worldwide and quickly garnered attention for its affordable and timeless threads.
There are 54 Uniqlo locations in the United States. Those stores are predominantly located on the West and East coasts in California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington and Pennsylvania. After a long wait, the retailer seems to finally be expanding to the nation’s second-biggest state.
Construction for the Houston storefront is slated to begin in May. Construction should be completed by Sept. 6, according to filings.
Uniqlo had previous plans to move into Houston, but those were quickly discarded amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and what some have called a “retail apocalypse.”
Despite a nationwide decline in brick-and-mortar retailers, Uniqlo higher-ups have generally boasted high sales numbers and a rapid storefront expansion.
In a recent news release, the retailer detailed plans for last year’s store opening with 20 new locations across North America in 2024. Now Uniqlo is aiming to reach 200 storefronts in the U.S. by 2027.