Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

Things didn’t work for Target in Canada, but that hasn’t deterred Japan’s Fast Retailing Co., from announcing plans to enter the market with its UNIQLO format.

The company’s first stores aren’t expected to open until the fall of 2016 when two flagship locations offering budget priced apparel measuring 24,000 and 28,000 square feet are introduced in Toronto.

New York – Ann Inc. is publicly responding to an open letter sent by activist investors Engine Capital and Red Alder on Aug. 25, which urged the company to sell at a substantial premium above current stock price. In a press release, Ann Inc. said its board is “very active and consistently has been, and remains, focused on enhancing shareholder value.”

Ann Inc. also said its board regularly reviews all options and uses a financial advisor to help evaluate them.

New York - Uniqlo announced it will enter two new markets, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, starting this spring. The Japanese apparel giant will open three stores in the Philadelphia market and six stores in the Boston metro area.  In addition, Uniqlo will open a pop-up shop at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, early this summer.

Uniqlo will enter Pennsylvania with three stores in the greater Philadelphia area:

• King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia (May 16)
• 1608 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia (Oct. 3)

New York – Merger talks between J. Crew and Japanese retailer Fast Retailing Co. have reportedly ended, at least for the time being. According to the Wall Street Journal, Fast Retailing, owner of the Uniqlo chain, left the discussions not long after they were made public by the media in late February 2014.

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Uniqlo has enlisted musician and music producer Pharrell Williams as a collaborator and spokesperson for the UT 2014 spring-summer collection. Launched in 2003, Uniqlo’s UT T-shirt brand is getting a fresh start this year, as “The New Model T,” a collection produced by its creative director and street fashion icon Nigo.

Costa Mesa, Calif. — Uniqlo is expanding into Southern California. The Japanese apparel retailer will open its first stores in the region this fall, at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

Uniqlo announced announced it will an additional location in Northern California, at the Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord. Also in the works: a store at Stamford Town Center, Stamford, Conn.
 
The retailer, owned by Japanese holding company Fast Retailing Co., currently has 17 stores in the United States.

New York -- Uniqlo, a division of Japan’s Fast Retailing, announced the promotion of Lawrence (Larry) H. Meyer to CEO of Uniqlo USA.
 
Meyer left his post as executive VP of Forever 21 to join Uniqlo in January 2013 as COO. Prior to Forever 21, he served as CFO of Gymboree.

In his new role, Meyers will oversee the day-to-day operations of Uniqlo and hold responsibility for the ongoing development of the company’s retail footprint in the USA.