PETALING JAYA, Dec 17 — At 15,100 square feet, the first Uniqlo roadside store in Malaysia is the size of a quarter of a football field.

In other words, it is spacious and there won’t be any basket collisions while you browse the aisles.

The Japanese fast-fashion retailer needs no introduction but what sets this exciting standalone concept from its shopping mall cousins?

Besides the commodious setup that feels more like a strip mall in places like the US, there is plenty to explore, as Malay Mail discovered during a media tour yesterday before the grand opening.

 

 

The bane of every Malaysian driver’s existence — you no longer have to search endlessly for parking as the roadside store comes with its own parking bays that include convenient parking for people with disability.

Hate long queues? The store has 13 fitting rooms and 10 checkout counters.

Fans of the brand’s AIRism range will be delighted to know the roadside store at DA Square in Bandar Sri Damansara is the only store that carries the full range of AIRism beddings.

Want to create your own designs? Head over to the UTme! corner that offers fashion lovers sticker design customisation and printing services for T-shirts and tote bags.

Parking is ample and conveniently located for shoppers. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

The DA Square roadside store is the second store after Uniqlo Fahrenheit88 that allows customers to customise their items and all it takes is 20 minutes.

To encourage consumers to adopt a greener lifestyle, the Sustainability Corner educates customers on how they can donate secondhand Uniqlo garments that will be reused and recycled instead of ending up in landfills.

Uniqlo’s first roadside store opened in Japan in 1985 and the community-based concept aims to serve customers in nearby townships who need to make quick and convenient trips to meet their daily needs.

"This roadside store makes it easy for the public to access LifeWear items, which are items you can use 365 days of the year,” Uniqlo PR manager Sonia Chong told Malay Mail at the media tour.

Customise your T-shirts and tote bags in 20 minutes. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

Designed to cater to Malaysian shopping habits, the store gives shoppers a door-to-door shopping experience.

The sprawling store which features high ceilings is also designed with a full range display for each product category that includes men’s and women’s innerwear, maternity wear, baby and kids wear, shoes and socks.

"At the end of the day, we want to bring the LifeWear concept to the community over here and all Covid-19 standard operating procedures will be observed,” Chong said when asked about the challenges of opening the store during a pandemic.

She said the store has been in the pipeline for at least a few years and Uniqlo fans in Malaysia have been eagerly waiting for the roadside store’s opening.

Drop off your secondhand Uniqlo garments at the Sustainability Corner. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

"We also don’t want to disappoint our customers because they’ve been hearing about this store for the longest time and we feel it’s nice to bring something positive to the community since it’s a space they can unwind in.”

Following successful launches in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines, Malaysia is the fifth country outside Japan and the third in South-east Asia to welcome a roadside store.

Uniqlo DA Square will open its doors Friday (December 18) at 10am and to mark its launch, there will be a three-day period of special offers awaiting shoppers.

From December 18 to December 20, the first 500 customers to enter the store will receive a goodie bag and customers who spend RM200 or more in a single receipt will receive a Uniqlo U tote bag.

Uniqlo DA Square Roadside Store is located at A-G-1, Lot 2005, Persiaran Perdana, Bandar Sri Damansara PJU 9, 52200 Kuala Lumpur.