Uniqlo will open its first store in Wales in autumn 2027, taking a two-floor unit of about 940 square metres at St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff. The Japanese retailer, which has 26 stores in the UK, says the Cardiff site is one of several openings planned across the country for 2027.
St David’s is owned by the British property group Landsec. The store will carry Uniqlo’s full LifeWear range for men, women, children and babies, the brand’s line of everyday basics. About 940 square metres is roughly 10,100 sq ft of sales floor.
What Uniqlo and Landsec said
Alessandro Dudech, chief operating officer of Uniqlo UK, said Cardiff has a rich cultural heritage and that Uniqlo already has a base of Welsh customers shopping with it online. The company says it is delighted to bring the Uniqlo experience closer to them. Clare Dutton, portfolio director at Landsec, said the brand’s fashion and in-store experience have broad generational appeal.
The 2027 opening programme
Uniqlo lists Cardiff alongside new stores in Bath, Brighton, Leeds and Canary Wharf, all planned for 2027. Uniqlo has 26 UK stores today, and the announcement gives no opening dates for the other sites and no target for the total, with expansion funded centrally rather than by operators, unlike the brands in the UK franchise directory. Uniqlo is part of the Japanese group Fast Retailing, which also owns GU, Theory and Comptoir des Cotonniers.
What the landlord says about the centre
For Landsec, the deal builds on an existing relationship with Uniqlo across its wider portfolio. The landlord says footfall at St David’s continues to grow and that it is investing in the centre to attract more international brands. Dutton described Uniqlo’s arrival as building on that investment and on a focus on bringing new brands and experiences to the centre.
Good to know: Wales and the retail estate
Cardiff is the first Welsh site in Uniqlo’s UK estate. The announcement describes Uniqlo’s own stores and does not mention franchise or partner operators.
For a franchisee, a unit in a centre like St David’s comes with more than rent. Service charge, marketing levy and fixed opening hours are set by the landlord, while the fit-out specification comes from the brand, and both sit on top of the fees the operator already pays. What it costs to open a franchise in the UK puts the mean total investment at £85,000, a figure a centre unit passes quickly.
Which party carries the fit-out, and on what terms the operator can leave, are fixed by the franchise agreement rather than the lease. Brands recruiting for sites of this kind are listed under restaurant and food and drink.
