Fast Retailing
Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. is a public Japanese retail holding company.
In addition to its primary subsidiary Uniqlo, it owns several other brands, including J Brand, Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Princesse Tam-Tam, and Theory.History
The company was founded as Ogōri Shōji Co., Ltd. in 1963 by Tadashi Yanai.
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.
In February 1999, it was listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The company also owns the American brand Theory; Fast Retailing acquired "an equity stake in Link Theory Holdings Co Ltd, the marketer of the Theory and Helmut Lang apparel brands, in 2004". It acquired the rest of the company in 2009.
In 2007, it unsuccessfully offered a bid of US$900 million 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 US$290 million and US$10 million in advisory legal fees.
