By: N Jayalakshmi
Last updated : March 09, 2026 4:41 pm
“We always focus on making our presence stronger in markets where we already see good traction,” said Nidhi Rastogi, Head of Marketing, UNIQLO, in an exclusive conversation with Retail4Growth, during the global retail chain’s second store launch in Bangalore at the Phoenix Mall of Asia.
Global apparel retailer UNIQLO recently opened its second store in Bengaluru at the Phoenix Mall of Asia, which is nearly double the size of the brand’s first store in the city launched at the Orion Mall last year. The latest store, the brand’s 18th in India, is spread across nearly 17,000 square feet, and marks its keen focus on expanding presence in high-potential markets in the country.
On the sidelines of the store launch event, Nidhi Rastogi, Marketing Head – UNIQLO India, shared some insights in an exclusive conversation with Retail4Growth. She began by talking about the factors that drove the second store in the city in six months. “Our first store in Bangalore launched in September was received very well. We realised that Bangalore was an untapped market, which was already doing very well for us on the e-commerce front. So when we found the location of our choice at the Mall of Asia we decided to quickly leverage the opportunity.”
Getting stronger with the familiar
For UNIQLO, the expansion strategy is very clear- strengthen base in existing market before moving on. As Nidhi explained, “Our focus has always been on strengthening presence in markets where we already have presence. We feel it’s very important to first gain close understanding of customers and market dynamics before spreading further.”
In terms of the expansion goals too, the brand believes in prioritising quality over quantity. As Nidhi said, “We aim at opening good quality stores rather than chasing numbers. Also, expansion is a matter of many factors – availability of right space, customer response, our readiness, etc.” Obviously for the brand, being at the right place at the right time matters more than being at multiple places at the same time. So UNIQLO, which is currently present in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Pune and Bangalore, will possibly expand its footprint in one of these cities in the near future, before exploring opportunities in other cities.
The retailer follows three store formats in India - super large, large and standard, with the newly opened Bangalore store being a large format one. The experience offered in each of these UNIQLO stores remains consistent across the globe - whether in terms of the store design, layout or other highlights.
The omnichannel co-existence
In the post-pandemic era, with shifting consumer lifestyles and behaviour and omnichannel gaining new ground, brick and mortar retail has been evolving, not just as transactional spaces but as social/community hubs. Reflecting on this, Nidhi explained, “Shopping is increasingly becoming a social activity and stores are definitely reflecting this. But even as stores become more experiential, reflecting the brand ethos, ecommerce supplements the brand experience, meeting more functional purposes. So the digital and the physical both co-exist, supplementing each other. We have seen that wherever we have store presence, our ecommerce does better in those areas. There’s a greater degree of trust that comes in with a store presence and that helps drive the online purchases too.”
Pegging the percentage wise sales ratio of online-offline at 15% : 85%, Nidhi pointed that this ratio is likely to continue the same way with business growing on the back of both online and offline channels. Given this omnichannel synergy, the brand is continuing to strengthen its focus on O2O (online to offline) plans targeted at conversions (driving ecommerce customers to the stores and vice versa), as Nidhi informed. “We have initiatives like Click and Collect where you can place an order online and buy at the store, or the App Only offers where you can use your app to avail of offers at the stores. So moving on, our endeavours are going to be focused on shopper experience across the online and offline touchpoints.”
Use of front-end tech
“Tech essentially needs to make a customer’s life better and simpler for it to make a difference,” said Nidhi diving right to the core of why front-end tech must matter in retail. She cites the example of self-checkouts. “We introduced them in one of our stores and they have become hugely successful. So we are now trying to introduce them in other stores. Essentially any tech initiative has to stem from customer experience and feedback.”
The use of digital displays inside the stores too, Nidhi felt, is a matter of blending with the store design and often depends on the location, space and customer behaviour. She drew on the example of the UNIQLO store front at Palladium, Mumbai, which is distinctly different from the Cyber Hub store in Gurgaon.
Distinct challenges
Being a global organisation, the brand obviously has a system in place when it comes to procuring the right in-store solutions. However, finding the right space at the right time is a challenge that the brand especially faces in India. “There are certain specific requirements in terms of the quality, the square feet area of space, the location of mall, etc. So given these, finding the right opportunity sometimes becomes a challenge,” said Nidhi.
But even as UNIQLO navigates these challenges, the brand is very clear in terms of its focus areas moving on. “Our whole focus is on getting close to the customer at the right place at the right time and in the right manner. So all our endeavours are geared towards that,” summed up Nidhi, getting to the bottom of why the right kind of store experience really matters.