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Uniqlo sets out to win over Madrid's tourists with a new store on Gran Vía
"With our first store in Madrid, in Calle de Serrano, we have seen how customers have embraced Uniqlo's 'Lifewear' concept. Now, we are opening a new store in a different area, Gran Vía, to cater to a customer profile consisting of both locals and tourists". With these words, Kohsuke Kobayashi, operations manager of Uniqlo Spain, summed up the Japanese brand's second store opening in Madrid, located at number 37 Gran Vía.
In a historic building, which once housed the Avenida Cinema and the Pasapoga showroom, Uniqlo covers an area of 2,200 square meters, offering its permanent collections for women, men, boys and girls, as well as its collaborations with designers such as JW Anderson.
"Our second store in Madrid, the largest to date in Spain, represents our strong commitment to the market," said Taku Morikawa, CEO of Uniqlo Europe. Kobayashi underlined the potential of this location in terms of tourism: "The Gran Via is a very important project for us, as tourism has had a positive economic impact on Madrid that hopefully we can also experience in the new store, increasing brand awareness not only in Spain, but around the world".
Uniqlo entered the Spanish market in 2017 with a first store in Barcelona and, since then, has opened three more stores in the Catalan capital and one in Madrid in the fall of 2019. With this new space on Gran Vía, the company now has six points of sale in Spain and is also strengthening its presence in Europe, where it operates 67 stores.
Uniqlo's flagship store in Madrid, which will open its doors to the public on October 6, features two of the brand's key services: UTme! and Repair Studio. The former allows customers to personalise their items with exclusive designs, such as those of artists Sergio Dosal, @Anna&Daniel, Mr.Piro and Gavina Ligas. The latter focuses on the repair and remaking of used garments.
In addition, and as is customary when Uniqlo opens a new location, the brand has relied on the local creative community, such as Atelier Aletheia, specialised in natural dyes, or the coffee and press startup GoodNews, to implement various initiatives.
With this strategic opening, the Japanese retail chain, owned by Fast Retailing, is boosting its presence and positioning in Spain, a market in which the brand also operates online through its e-commerce website and app.
This new store is one of this year's most important developments on Madrid's Gran Vía, after the WOW department store (a project driven by Dimas Gimeno) opened its doors in the spring. It was also in the first half of the year that Zara opened its flagship store in the Edificio España, just a few minutes from Uniqlo's new location.
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