Acknowledged as a world-class performer across its business

Tokyo, Oct 6, 2014 - (ACN Newswire) - Fast Retailing today announces that on September 30, 2014 it was recognized with the 2014 Retailer of the Year Award, by the World Retail Congress. The accolade is awarded to the retailer that has proved that it is a world-class performer across every aspect of its business, and can truly be described as having had an exceptional year.

The award particularly acknowledges Fast Retailing's ambitious growth plans, high-profile store openings, and strong sales performance. The jury who selected the company also praised its superior product quality, price, and customer service experience, while acknowledging its focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd Chairman, President, and CEO, Tadashi Yanai said, "We are honored to have been acknowledged with this global award. For me, it is a testament to our potential, and a result of our unique LifeWear concept and Global One approach to people management - where everyone plays a role in running our business. Putting our customers first, our mission is to create truly great clothing with new and unique value, and to enable people all over the world to experience the joy, happiness and satisfaction of wearing such great clothes. To do this, we will continue to drive the teamwork that has enabled us to earn this acknowledgement."

About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing

UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under seven main brands: Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam, Theory, and UNIQLO. With global sales of approximately 1.14 trillion yen for the 2013 fiscal year ending August 31, 2013 (US $11.62 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2013 rate of $1 = 98.36 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world's largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan's leading specialty retailer.

UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a truly global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 1,400 stores in 16 markets worldwide: Japan, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K. and the U.S. In addition, Grameen UNIQLO, a social business established in Bangladesh in September 2010, currently operates several Grameen UNIQLO stores in Dhaka. UNIQLO manages an integrated business model under which it designs, manufactures, markets and sells high-quality, casual apparel. The company believes that truly great clothes should be supremely comfortable, feature universal designs, are of high quality and offer a superb fit to everyone who wears them.

With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com and www.fastretailing.com.

For media queries, please contact:Fast RetailingCorporate PR DepartmentAldo Liguori/Oliver OrmrodTokyo, JapanTel. +81 (0)3 6885 0960

Notes to Editors:

The 2014 World Retail Awards gathered 500 high-level industry professionals at the prestigious Salle Wagram in Paris, to celebrate the retail industry's game changers. Sponsored by IBM, other nominees in the Retailer of the Year Award category included Aldi, Dixons Retail (now Dixons Carphone), H&M, John Lewis Partnership, Macy's, Michael Kors, Nordstrom, and Sun Art Retail.

The World Retail Awards are the only global retail industry awards that recognize and honor retail excellence. Now in their eighth year, the awards attract entries from hundreds of retailers from over fifty countries across the world, showcasing retail excellence across all segments of the retail industry. The awards encompass a total of 13 categories - find details on the judges HERE ( www.worldretailawards.com/grand-jury ) and further information on the World Retail Awards HERE ( www.worldretailawards.com ).

The World Retail Congress hosts a series of industry gatherings around the world (global, Asian, South American, African, and Chinese), as a chance to engage with and learn from those steering the world's leading retail businesses. The series brings together the global retail industry's most influential business leaders and decision makers to challenge current thinking, unveil the latest innovations, investigate regional trends and shape the direction of the retail industry.

Source: Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

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