From a tailor shop born in a fallen coal mining town
From becoming a brand loved by people all over the world
LifeWear: A 40-Year Story of Uniqlo

"Connecting," "The Class of Work," and "Leadership of Giants" are highly recommended by Shin Soo-jung, KT division head.
Amazon Japan Comprehensive Bestseller of 2024

Everyone probably has at least one piece of Uniqlo clothing in their closet.
Uniqlo's attractive point to today's consumers is its "cost-effectiveness" with basic items that can be styled in various ways for a small amount of money, including a design that is acceptable to wear with any other clothes, a certain level of guaranteed quality, and even an affordable price.
The fact that Uniqlo is expecting to achieve its best performance for four consecutive years, especially in an era of global economic crisis and high prices, can be seen as evidence that the brand has correctly answered the question of what clothing consumers want and how to provide it reliably.
This book, "Uniqlo," tells the story of Uniqlo's founder, Tadashi Yanai, who is also Japan's richest man, as he inherited a tailor shop in his hometown from his father and grew it into what is now Uniqlo. It goes beyond the framework of a simple business management book and approaches you as an exciting story.

In 1994, when Uniqlo was growing rapidly, Yanai also announced the “Three Promises.”
One of them was, “If you are not satisfied with the product, you can return or exchange it within 3 months of purchase, even without a receipt.”
Although he faced fierce opposition from management regarding the unconditional return, the words “build trust step by step” were something that his father Hitoshi emphasized to his son until his mouth was dry, calling it the “business mindset.”
--- pp.73-74, 「Chapter 1.
From "The Lazy Bumblebee: How a Lethargic Youth Awoke - Teachings of Chizuko Kojima"

It was a waste of time worrying about something that couldn't be solved in the first place.
If you share your concerns from the beginning, you can then organize things one by one, starting with 'things worth trying' without overthinking them.
If you keep going like this, you might see the exit of the tunnel someday.
Yanai had this mindset ingrained in him as he experienced the turmoil of senior staff leaving.
--- p.98, Chapter 2.
From "The Dark Ages: Ten Years of Struggling and Hiding - Self-Analysis Written in Notes"

Yanai had finally found his golden opportunity. As Uniqlo began to gain traction, he began to consider a completely different business model, even when Uniqlo was still in its infancy.
It was a path to transforming from a 'casual wear warehouse' that gathered clothes from various domestic and foreign companies into a full-fledged SPA.
--- p.150, Chapter 3.
From "Gold Vein: Uniqlo Born in the Back Alleys - Encounter with Jimmy Lai"

Hitoshi always opposed his son's expansion of the store.
I thought I could put down roots in the area and do business as far as my vision allowed.
I thought that if I could feed my family and a few employees, that would be enough.
His way of thinking was fundamentally different from that of his son, who started out with the goal of becoming the 'world's best Uniqlo.'
--- p.215, Chapter 4.
From "Clash: Ambition Not Understood - Parting with Father"

“When you try something new, you are bound to fail.
But failure is not the problem.
(The important point) is what you gain from failure.
As a manager, you need to think about the reasons for failure and what you can do to avoid failure next time.
So, what this means is that if there is no failure, there is no beginning.”
--- p.253, Chapter 5.
From "Leap: Tokyo Expansion and the Fleece Fever - Most Fail"

It's really simple, but not easy to put into practice.
The flagship store strategy carries significant risks.
Building a massive store in a major city around the world requires a significant amount of capital, and having everything in one place requires stocking even the most underwhelming items.
Naturally, inventory risk is also high.
How to build supply chains for both well-selling and poorly-selling clothes.
This is an area where the capabilities of SPA, which assumes full purchase, are required.
--- p.368, Chapter 8.
Breakthrough: The 'Question' That Led to Global Expansion - Hints from the Founder of American Limited

Sato confesses, “I always had that kind of dialogue with Mr. Yanai.”
At the time, the branding strategy of 'New York Soho store should fully promote Japan' was an urgent task, but the conversation between the two was looking further than the immediate story.
The conversation at this time continued with the question and answer about 'What are Uniqlo clothes?'
--- pp.385-386, 「Chapter 8.
Breakthrough: The 'Question' That Led to Global Expansion - What Are Clothes?

“Head office has taken away the power of thought from stores.
The store lost its ownership and became a store manager in name only.
Such situations were rampant.
(Otherwise) I was reprimanded by my boss.
It was mostly similar across the country.
“I thought this was where Uniqlo’s limits ended.”
--- p.422, Chapter 9.
Contradiction: Questions Raised by Criticism of 'Black Companies' - From "The Manager in Name Only"

'The opponent we're fighting has changed.' That's the only way to think about it.
Until now, all I had to do was follow the ZARA and H&M stores lined up on the same street.
Of course, the fact that they are still huge rivals remains unchanged.
But the world is changing faster than we think.
There is no guarantee that a new competitor will be right in front of you.
Rather, it is more likely that it does not exist at all now.

--- p.491, Chapter 11.
Evolution: Destruction and Creation in Information Manufacturing Retail? From "The Opponents We Fight Have Changed"