| Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. | |
| Native Name: | 株式会社ファーストリテイリング |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Romanized Name: | Kabushikigaisha Fāsutoriteiringu |
| Type: | Public |
| Traded As: | HKEX: TOPIX Large 70 Component |
| Founder: | Hitoshi Yanai |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Key People: | Shimpei Otani (CTO) Makoto Hoketsu (CIO) |
| Industry: | Retail |
| Products: | Clothing, accessories |
| Revenue: | ¥2,130 billion (FY2018)[1] |
| Operating Income: | ¥236 billion (FY2018) |
| Profit: | ¥1,050 billion (FY2018) |
| Assets: | ¥1,953 billion (FY2018) |
| Num Employees: | 52,839 (2018)[2] |
| Location City: | Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| Location Country: | Japan |
is a public Japanese multinational retail holding company.[3] In addition to its primary subsidiary Uniqlo, it owns several other brands, including J Brand, Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Princesse Tam-Tam, and Theory.
The company was founded as Men's Shop Ogori Shoji in 1949, and formally incorporated as Ogōri Shōji Co., Ltd. in 1963 by Hitoshi Yanai.[4]
In 1984, the company, which ran a menswear store in Ube, Yamaguchi, opened a new casual-wear store named Unique Clothing Warehouse in Hiroshima City; this was the forebear of Uniqlo.
In September 1991, Ogori Shoji changed its name to Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., and was listed on the Hiroshima Stock Exchange in July 1994.[5]
In February 1999, it was listed on the first section (large companies) of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.[5]
The company also owns the American brand Theory; In 2004, Fast Retailing acquired "an equity stake in Link Theory Holdings Co., Ltd., the marketer of the Theory and Helmut Lang apparel brands".[6] It acquired the rest of the company in 2009.
In 2007, it unsuccessfully offered a bid of for Barneys New York department store to the Jones Apparel Group.
In 2012, the company purchased an 80% stake of premium denim company J Brand for, plus in advisory legal fees.[7]
