TOKYO, Apr 28, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. ("Fast Retailing") today announces that it is donating US$ 100,000 (approximately JPY 12,000,000) in emergency relief for children impacted by the tragic earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. The donation is through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), with which Fast Retailing maintains a global partnership.

The donation provides needed hygienic products, clean water, tents, medicine, blankets, and other essentials. Fast Retailing is also working with international organizations including relevant NGOs to assess the need for clothing donations. According to UNICEF, approximately 940,000 children are in need of urgent support as a result of the tragedy.

Fast Retailing Group Senior Vice President in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Yukihiro Nitta said, "Fast Retailing expresses its sincere condolences to those impacted by this disaster, and we aim to support a rapid recovery."

Fast Retailing has previously provided humanitarian relief to South Asia, including India and Bangladesh, where it maintains manufacturing hubs. Since 2007, the company has also donated approximately 500,000 items of clothing from its All Product Recycling Initiative to refugee camps in Nepal.

- Reference: Fast Retailing Disaster Relief Donations

November 2014 Ebola in west Africa: JPY 10 million to assist children, from a fund established with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as part of Fast Retailing's 'Clothes for Smiles' initiative.

May 2014 flood in Serbia: US$50,000 (approximately JPY 5,000,000), with the backing of Serbian-born tennis pro and UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador Novak Djokovic.

November 2013 typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines: 5.5 million pesos (JPY 12.3 million) and T-shirts, underwear, and other items valued at 1 million pesos.

April 2013 earthquake in Sichuan, China: 2 million yuan (JPY 32 million) and 57,000 innerwear, T-shirts, pants, and other clothing.

December 2012 Hurricane Sandy (Eastern U.S.A.): About 100,000 HEATTECH and 10,000 Ultra Light Down items valued US$2.3 million (approximately JPY 190 million). UNIQLO employees also volunteered in the distribution effort.

August 2012 flood in the Philippines: Approximately JPY 3 million.

November 2011 flood in Thailand: 2 million baht (approximately JPY 5 million), and about 20,000 items of clothing, worth roughly JPY 30 million, including T-shirts, shirts, shorts, innerwear, and other items. The clothing was donated through the Chaipattana Foundation, founded by the King of Thailand.

September 2011 famine in Somalia: US$1 million as famine relief through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in addition to approximately 1 million articles of clothing for Somali refugees who fled to Kenya. Fast Retailing Chairman, President and CEO Tadashi Yanai personally donated an additional US$1 million.

March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: Aid supplies, money, and solicitation of cash donations at stores, in addition to a wide range of other initiatives to support people affected by the disaster. In total, this amounted to JPY 3.3 billion.

January 2010 earthquake in Haiti: JPY 5 million through the American Red Cross and JEN.

September 2009 earthquake in Samoa, Indonesia, and typhoons in the Philippines: JPY 11 million, and undergarments, through the Japanese Red Cross, JEN and the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP). Fast Retailing employees also gave approximately JPY 800,000.

May 2008 Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar: Working with JOICFP, roughly 200,000 items of clothing to the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA).

May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China: 33,000 items of clothing (worth JPY 50 million).

January 2008 cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh: Donation of recycled clothing through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

July 2006 earthquake in Java, Indonesia: JPY 20 million through the Japan Red Cross.

October 2005 earthquake in northern Pakistan: 23,000 articles of winter apparel through JEN.

January 2005 earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia: JPY 20 million through the Japan Red Cross.

October 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Japan: 44,000 items, including outerwear, innerwear, and other products.

July 2004 floods, landslides in Niigata, Japan: 24,000 items, including T-shirts and innerwear. Employees volunteered to help with disaster relief efforts.

February 2004 earthquake in Iran: 10,000 T-shirts.

November 2002 cold snap in Peru: 30,000 Airtech jackets.

December 2001 Afghanistan refugees: 12,000 Airtech jackets through JEN.

February 2001 western India earthquake: 10,000 fleece garments.

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 1.38 trillion yen for the 2014 fiscal year ending August 31, 2014 (US $13.3 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2014 rate of $1 = 103.74 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 1,500 stores in 16 markets worldwide including 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 DepartmentAi Kanda/Aldo LiguoriTokyo, JapanTel. +81 (0)3 6885 0960

Source: Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

Copyright 2015 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.