It’s a Muji Moment as the Japanese Retailer Advances in America

Muji is ready to spread its clean Asian aesthetic, multifarious merchandising and moderate prices across America. “We are targeting to open more than 100 stores in the U.S. by 2025,” Toru Akita, chief operating officer of Muji North America, told WWD. “We want to open additional stores in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland and we are looking for locations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Austin and Miami.” For the expansion, the Muji format is changing — dramatically. “Currently, our store size averages 8,000 square feet. We want to expand it to 20,000 to 25,000 square feet. That’s a big difference,” Akita said. “There are a lot of items we can introduce to North America — mainly furniture and kids wear. And we also have our Muji Diner experience in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, [South] Korea and China. But we have been limited in the U.S. because of the size of the stores. We have a sister company named Idée. It is also a lifestyle company mainly providing furniture, though not yet in the U.S. That is a possibility, if we have the larger stores.” Muji’s “right-angle” socks for snugger fits on 59th Street.  George Chinsee/WWD In addition, a Muji Hotel is planned

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