Uniqlo Japan posts slight decline in May same-store sales

May 2021 same-store sales including online sales at Uniqlo Japan decreased by 0.6 percent while total sales including online sales increased by 3.6 percent.

The company, part of the Fast Retailing Group, said in a statement that same-store sales dipped slightly because while fewer stores were temporarily closed for business due to the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the previous year, the expansion of the area covered and the extended length of Japan’s state of emergency encouraged people to stay indoors more.

The company added that sales also struggled due to insufficient product-related newsworthy elements and information sharing.

During the month under review, Uniqlo opened four stores and closed two in Japan. In May, a maximum of 190 stores operated shorter opening hours and 83 stores were temporarily closed due to Covid-19. The number of temporarily closed stores dropped to 32 at the end of May.