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New Book from Nikkei Business Publications: UNIQLO, Uncovering the Truth about One of Japan's Most Prominent Companies
Published in April 2024, this book attracted so much attention that it was immediately scheduled for reprinting, while translation offers from countries including China and South Korea, were also received.
UNIQLO is one of Japan's foremost apparel brands, with stores all over the world. The brand is now on a par with Europe's Zara and H&M and is on its way to becoming the world's top-selling fashion retailer. It is one of the few global brands that emerged from Japan during the "lost 30 years" of economic decline following the bursting of Japan's economic bubble.
UNIQLO originated from a deserted rural shopping district, left behind by the changing times. What lay behind UNIQLO's beginnings? How did a men's clothing shop in a boarded-up street transform into a global apparel company? This book unveils the mystery, and examines lessons we can learn from UNIQLO's journey as well as what it tells us about life in our times.
The book tells the compelling story of UNIQLO founder, Tadashi Yanai, and his team. It details their struggle to transform a small rural menswear store into a global brand in just one generation.
In a largely forgotten time, in a deserted shopping district, an impassive young man came up with the concept for the next goldmine— "UNIQLO". The company aimed to position itself as a specialty retailer of private label apparel (SPA), later expanding to the Tokyo area and taking advantage of the popularity of fleece jackets. As new team members joined, there were also goodbyes to long-serving employees. The company faced difficulties during its global expansion and attracted criticism for its labor practices, but ultimately evolved into a major digital consumer retail company.
The book uncovers the true story of Tadashi Yanai and his companions who united under Yanai's vision.
Contents
Prologue: Deserted shopping street
Chapter 1: A Lazy Guy—How did an impassive young man come up with the idea?
Chapter 2: Dark Age—A decade of continuous struggle
Chapter 3: Gold Mine—UNIQLO originates in a back street
Chapter 4: Battles—Visions not understood by others
Chapter 5: Taking a Leap—Moving to Tokyo and the great success of fleece jackets
Chapter 6: Setback—"The company is collapsing": new talents join and old employees leave
Chapter 7: Adversity—Mayhem in management succession
Chapter 8: Breakthrough—The "Question" leading to global expansion
Chapter 9: Contradiction—Lessons from being criticized as a "sweatshop"
Chapter 10: Revival—Struggle to reconstruct a long-awaited base in North America
Chapter 11: Evolution—Destruction and creation for transforming into a digital consumer retail company
Epilogue: The world is connected
About the Author
Takashi Sugimoto has been a member of NIKKEI's editorial board since 2020. He primarily reports on industrial fields in both Japan and the US. Born in 1975 in Osaka, he received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the Department of Economics at Kyoto University. His books include HondaJet Tanjo Monogatari (The Birth of HondaJet) and Net Koubouki (Rise and Fall of IT Entrepreneurs), as well as Masayoshi Son: Sanbyakunen Oukokueno Yabo (Aspiration to create a business that lasts 300 years), published by Nikkei Business Publications. He is also the co-author of Monozukuri Koboki (Rise and Fall of Manufacturers), also published by Nikkei Business Publications.
This book is just one of many titles published by Nikkei Business Publications that have been translated into other languages. Please contact us for more information on foreign rights to our uniquely positioned and unmissable books.
For further details, please contact:
Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
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