Uniqlo to enter Bengaluru with store in Orion Mall

Bengaluru: Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is set to enter Bengaluru  with its first outlet coming in Orion Mall by Brigade Gateway, industry sources told DH.

The deal has already been signed, according to sources in a leading realty consultancy firm. However,  the opening is not expected to happen before June at least, with fitouts and other processes to be done.

The store will be spread over a 30,000-square-feet carpet area, informed an executive of another leading property consultancy firm, with an investment amount of at least Rs 8,000 per square foot. The loading factor is expected to be around 35-40%. The loading factor represents the built-up area.

Uniqlo will come into the same space vacated by Spanish fashion brand Zara, recently.

Finding a suitable location in Bengaluru was a challenge, the realty consultants explained, due to a lack of destination malls with only Orion and Phoenix garnering high footfall in the city. They were searching for the right space and the right mall.

“Phoenix was already occupied by brands such as Zara and Lifestyle. Luckily, Orion was getting vacant. Uniqlo has been waiting for a long time for Bengaluru,” said one of the consultants.

Both Brigade and Uniqlo declined to comment on the matter, despite DH raising queries with them, saying that they will provide appropriate updates in the future. However, neither denied the development.

Uniqlo executives have publicly expressed interest in expanding into the southern market and Bengaluru for a long time, as part of their retail network expansion in India. The brand is already present in the region through their e-commerce website.

Uniqlo may plan to expand further into Bengaluru following this one, the sources added.

The Japanese brand entered the Indian market in October 2019 with the highest number of stores in Delhi-NCR, as well as stores in cities like Lucknow and Chandigarh. It entered Mumbai in October 2023. The brand operates 13 stores, as of November 2024.