Gearing up for growth, Uniqlo names CEO

Fast Retailing’s Uniqlo USA division named a new CEO with a familiar name to lead what is expected to be an accelerated growth plan.

Uniqlo elevated existing COO Lawrence Meyer to the role of CEO to lead is 17 unit U.S. operation roughly one year after he joined the company. In his new role, Meyer will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Uniqlo brand and be responsible for the ongoing development of the company retail footprint in the U.S.

That footprint surged recently with the opening of 10 new stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and San Francisco, as well as a pop-up store in New York’s Union Square subway station. The company currently operates 17 units in the U.S., but has more than 1,000 stores worldwide.

“Larry’s steadfast leadership has been a tremendous asset to the company and a key component to our successful growth this year. Building a U.S.-based executive team is a very important step in the next phase of our expansion in the United States, and his promotion is a logical step,” said Tadashi Yanai, chairman, president and CEO of Fast Retailing based in Japan.

Meyer brought an extensive background in consumer lifestyle brands to Uniglo when he joined the company after serving as an EVP at Forever 21. Prior to Forever 21, Meyer was the CFO of Gymboree, CFO of Toys “R” Us International, and spent fourteen years early in his career at PepsiCo in various roles.