United Arrows launches new brands

United Arrows has big plans to double sales by 2021 and has already launched four new brands in the last few months, with more to come.

United Arrows will launch a new brand this Autumn called En Route. Based on a concept dubbed ‘Wearable Tokyo‘ En Route will mix sports and fashion to create a contemporary urban casual apparel store. The store will target 30s men and women and will be operated by the former head of the Green Label Relaxing chain. Prices will average around ¥60,000 for coats, ¥13,000 for shirts and ¥18,000 for trousers.

United Arrows has launched several other new brands recently. Last month it unveiled Bow & Arrows, targeting men aged 30 to 60 with prices of around ¥50,000 for coats, ¥10,000 for shirts, ¥80,000 for suits and ¥12,000 for knitwear. The brand has been designed specifically for department store menswear floors – part of United Arrows’ previously announced plans to create formats for all key distribution points, from department stores to highway service areas. The first stores opened last month in Daimaru Umeda and Daimaru Sapporo.

Last year it tied with the Ethical Fashion Initiative to support African women with training and logistical support so that they can create work for themselves through a brand called Tege United Arrows.

In March it opened the first stores for a new select shop chain called Astraet, and the first flagship for the store opened in Minami Aoyama on 1 May. Astraet targets “soulful, cultural men and women” with a sleek gallery-like store design and price points of around ¥55,000 for jackets, ¥75,000 for outerwear, ¥23,000 for bottoms and ¥25,000 for knitwear. 60% of merchandise is own brand but the high end store includes hard to get brands such as MM12, a new jewellery line from Maison Martin Margiela that is otherwise only sold at branded stores. United Arrows plans eight Astraet stores in the next three years.

The new brands are part of United Arrows’ long range plan, UA Vision 2022, to build retail concepts across a broad spectrum of consumer goods categories while also delving into new niches. While launching in Japan, United Arrows has plans to use the brands to reach into new markets in Asia as well as the US and Europe, an ambition laid out in UA Vision 2022.

By the end of FY2021 ending March, United Arrows is targeting sales of ¥220 billion, double turnover in FY2012, producing pretax profits of ¥26.5 billion, up from ¥12.5 billion. Half of the expected additional sales will come from existing chains and small stores, with the rest coming from new ideas and overseas expansion.