UNIQLO China'S First Self Driving Shop Closes Because No One Wants To Buy Clothes In The Suburbs.

China's first self driving shop.

Japanese chain clothing brand UNIQLO (UNIQLO) has expanded rapidly in the Chinese market in recent years, but its store innovation has encountered Waterloo.

Reporters learned that, due to poor performance, the first self driving shop of UNIQLO, located on Cao An Road, Shanghai, was closed in February 1st, and it is less than three years since its opening.

Starting in Shanghai in 2002, UNIQLO has become the representative of fast fashion.

In China, there are about 350 stores in China and 78 cities in the mainland.

While expanding the number of stores, UNIQLO is also trying to innovate.

UNIQLO opened the first DRIVE-IN store in China on Cao An Road, Jiading District, Shanghai in May 2012, hoping to introduce the large self driving shopping mall away from the city into the Chinese market.

It is understood that the shop area of 2900 square meters (UNIQLO located in Nanjing West Road flagship store area of 2300 square meters), the central store did not gather, the most popular and most complete commodity in the season, featuring 180 parking spaces, to shop consumers can stop free 1.5 hours.

UNIQLO originally planned to enhance its brand influence in the surrounding areas of Shanghai.

Cao An Road business district originated from the light textile market, and then there are supermarket chains and home appliance stores such as lotus, big run, Yongle, Gome and so on.

However, most of the business of Cao An business district is ordinary commodity consumption, and fashion consumption is its short board.

It is thought that the poor performance of the office of Cao An Road, UNIQLO, is inappropriate or relevant to the site selection; on the other hand, it also shows that for consumers, UNIQLO is not so attractive that consumers are driven to the suburbs for shopping. The self driving shop mode is simply not suitable for UNIQLO.

Looking at the location of other stores in UNIQLO, most of them are located in crowded shopping areas.

Actually, UNIQLO has a complex of suburban shops.

Beginning of UNIQLO business

The pattern is to set up a suburban store around the main trunk road.

It was not until 1998 that UNIQLO tried to build the first urban center store in Harbin, Tokyo, the most prosperous area in the world, and the most popular area of fashion.

When UNIQLO came to China, it first followed the tradition of the suburban shops, and set the store at a low price area. But before Pan Ning took charge of UNIQLO China in 2005, the stores were at a loss.

When Cao An Road store opened, Pan Ning, managing director of fast retailing (China) trading company of the company, said that it would continue to increase its self driving shop in the cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai in the future. After 5 years, such large suburban shops could account for about 20% of the total sales. "This kind of investment has advantages over investment and rentals in the city center stores. Besides our own UNIQLO products, it will also introduce catering, daily chemical, pharmaceutical, household electrical appliances and other supporting facilities, which is accompanied by the consideration of UNIQLO in commercial real estate."