Japanese casual wear retailer UNIQLO has now confirmed it will open in Leeds in 2026

The company has detailed its UK expansion and Leeds, plus Bristol and Birmingham, is on the list.

UNIQLO is a clothing apparel company originally founded in Yamaguchi, Japan in 1949 as a textiles manufacturer. Now it is a global brand with over 1000 stores around the world.

The new Leeds store will be based on the busy shopping street of Briggate and feature a sales floor of approximately 1100sqm across two floors, featuring it’s ‘LifeWear’ brand.

The building stands on the site formerly home to the city’s House of Fraser store.

In the plans submitted by the retailer, Uniqlo has asked Leeds City Council for permission to install “two hanging internally illuminated hanging signs and two internally illuminated projecting signs”.

Architectural drawings from firms Thirty One Design and Ink Associates included in the application show a mock-up of the glass fronted store with the signage hanging above the door in Uniqlo’s signature vibrant red colour, as well as off the building. They will be made from sheet metal with a “sprayed finish” and feature white text.

Alessandro Dudech, COO of UNIQLO U.K. said “UNIQLO remains committed to strengthening its presence within the UK retail sector by expanding both our physical store network and ecommerce capabilities nationwide.

“As part of this strategic initiative, we look forward to introducing UNIQLO to the communities and visitors in the North of England, at the new Leeds location and simultaneously reaching customers in the South West in Bristol’s Cabot Circus. and offering our LifeWear collection, apparel crafted to endure, inspired by the Japanese principles of quality, simplicity, and functionality to a broader customer base.”

UNIQLO currently has 21 stores in the U.K, with Liverpool as the most recent store to open in April 2025.