Steal From Foreign Retail Then Localize

“In a small city like Ube, information is quite isolated. To get the latest fashion information, I often buy and read fashion and jewelry magazines. I travel overseas once a year, especially to see stores in Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. I was particularly inspired by the advanced retail businesses at the time, such as ESPRIT, BENETTON, GAP, LIMITED, NEXT, and other chain store brands. Initially, I participated in business study groups organized by the industry associations and went overseas with my peers. Later, I would go alone to the United States to purchase items like t-shirts and jeans; I also went to London, England to purchase t-shirts, jewelry, and antique watches.”

“There, students had everything they needed for life, and it was easy to take. They didn't need any assistance from the sales staff, it's completely self-service. There wasn't that commercial flavor of trying to sell things, and the store layout was completely designed from the customer's perspective. Students walked in the store as casually as they would browse a bookstore or a record store. If they like something, they buy it, if not, they just look around and go out. I suddenly realized that selling our casual clothes in this way would be very interesting. However, this simple "self-service" form could easily be misunderstood as us trying to save on labor costs, a misunderstanding we would not want. Therefore, we believe the best way of service is "self-service that customers want", which later became UNIQLO's operating principle of "HELP YOURSELF".”