Uniqlo Open to Moving E-Commerce Headquarters

The much anticipated launch of Uniqlo's e-commerce is less than a week away.  And with the excitement comes rumors that they are "open" to moving their global digital headquarters from Japan to the US.  

The company's U.S. general manager, Shin Odake, told WWD, "The fact that our San Francisco store is close to Silicon Valley was very attractive. We want to establish a relationship with the U.S. high-tech industry. We hope to learn from the U.S. market and make our Web experience better than it is today." 

The company felt very strongly about taking the right steps in the US.  These steps included establishing the brand, opening stores coast to coast, collaborating with American designers and making a spash with ad campaigns.  Now, after their latest store opening in San Francisco, Odake notes, "Global e-commerce is headquartered in Japan, but we're open to moving the global headquarters to the U.S. We feel there's more talent and more knowledge in the U.S." In addition, while Uniqlo made America wait for e-commerce, the model built here could impact them worldwide, or as Uniqlo's president Tadashi Yanai said, "At first, we'll build an e-commerce model in the U.S., then, we're thinking of bringing that same model to other countries around the world."