Seven & i, Fast Retailing plan tie-up including new apparel brand

The partnership envisions letting Uniqlo customers pick up online orders at 7-Eleven stores in Japan.

TOKYO -- Japanese retailers Seven & i Holdings and Fast Retailing are making plans for a wide-ranging partnership covering everything from product planning and production to sales and distribution.

     The convenience store giant and the operator of the Uniqlo casualwear chain will create a new brand for apparel as early as this year, tapping Fast Retailing's expertise as a clothing designer, manufacturer and retailer. Seven & i has been pursuing an omnichannel strategy integrating e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. It aims to cultivate a unique brand that will become a major customer draw.

     Uniqlo will let customers pick up online orders at any of the roughly 18,000 7-Eleven stores across Japan. It is mulling permitting returns there as well, which would let consumers use their neighborhood convenience stores as Uniqlo outlets of a sort.

     The partners intend to work together overseas as well. Seven & i's 38,000 locations outside Japan can complement the sales network of Uniqlo, which has sought to tap overseas markets amid diminishing room for growth in Japan.

     Seven & i and Fast Retailing will consider sharing logistics centers and jointly distributing products. In addition to its convenience stores nationwide, Seven & i also owns Ito-Yokado and Sogo & Seibu, which sell clothing and household goods in major urban areas. It aims to streamline distribution through better use of logistics networks.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Seven-i-Fast-Retailing-plan-tie-up-including-new-apparel-brand