Muji (Tokyo) will open its first U.S. mall store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., next month. The 5000-square-foot store will serve as the prototype for future mall units throughout the U.S., Asako Shimazaki, president of Muji USA told Women’s Wear Daily.
Muji has been compared to Uniqlo, selling relatively high-quality, private label goods at low prices, but with more product categories, including apparel, skin care, small home goods and storage systems.
In October, the company will open an 11,600-square-foot flagship at Fifth Avenue and 41st Street in Manhattan. Additional locations are planned for Manhattan and Brooklyn. The company will also enter the Boston market and is seeking mall locations in New Jersey and New York state.
Muji opened its first U.S. store seven years ago and currently operates eight units in New York and California. Muji operates more than 400 stores in Japan and 200 internationally.