Chantal Fouad

DUBAI: Forever 21 is returning to Japan in February after 3 years of exiting the market.

American fashion brand Forever 21 first opened its stores in Japan in 2009 and was received with great excitement and enthusiasm.

The store was very popular in Japan as it had a variety of apparel styles along with reasonable prices, which was not common among Japan’s retail stores.

Along its 10-year journey in Japan, Forever 21 experienced a downfall in its performance until its closure in 2019.

The main reason why the store exited the Japanese market is the mismatch between taste and audience, according to analysts.

The merchandise that was being sold in the Japanese market is the same merchandise that is widely selling in the US market; a better selection of items was needed to be done to match the fashion desires of the Japanese clientele.

Luckily this time with the new opening in February a new strategy will be adopted.

Tokyo based apparel management company Adastria will be partnering with Forever 21 to ensure the second attempt in the Japanese market is more successful than its first.

Using Adastria’s local expertise, Forever 21 will have the means to avoid the same mistake again and accurately identify what kind of items will appear appealing to Japanese customers.

The first physical stores will open in February in Tokyo and Osaka to catch the next spring season.