Fast Retailing's EBIT rose 14% year on year in the fourth quarter ended August 2026. Management guides for 12% EBIT growth in fiscal 2027, as strong international sales offset higher procurement costs in Japan due to a weak yen.
Faster-than-expected Uniqlo store openings and higher-than-expected same-store sales growth in Uniqlo International would meaningfully increase Fast Retailing’s profit.
Bears
Expansion of Uniqlo International and GU falters, while losses in global brands rocket.
Fast Retailing is Japan’s largest apparel company. It operates the casualwear retail chain Uniqlo, known for its high-quality functional apparel at reasonable prices. Fast Retailing is in charge of product design and sales and outsources almost all of its production to factories in places including China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and India. It is ranked the second-largest apparel company by sales globally in 2024 per Euromonitor, thanks to the expansion of Uniqlo International. As of February 2025, it ran 3,616 stores globally. Other brands in its portfolio include GU and acquired brands like Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and Princesse tam.tam. The Yanai family owned a 40.86% stake in the firm as of July 2025.