Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision

One of the strongest retail brands in the world is Muji. Brand Japan has measured brand strength for 1,100 brands in Japan for eight years. After opening its first store in 1983 as a subsidiary of supermarket retailer Seiyu, it has since been sold and now has more than 330 stores, nearly a third of which are outside Japan, including several locations in New York. Few brands deliver more emotional and self-expressive benefits than does Muji. And the Muji brand vision is "not to be a brand". It is the no-brand brand and represented by four characters that mean “no-brand quality goods.” They all about simplicity, moderation, humility and self-restraint. MUJI want to promote their concept and the MUJI philosophy is to deliver functional products that strive not to be the best, but “enough.”  

On one hand ,MUJI like most other global retailers, Muji expects a large chunk of that growth to come from China and other faster-growing Asian markets. MUJI try their best to do expansion Over the next three years, it plans to add another 100 stores in China to the 108 it already operates there. But it also has big expansion plans for the U.S., where it currently has nine emporiums, four of them in the heart of Manhattan. Its U.S. target is 100 stores by 2020 and 500 longer term.Muji is also present in 98 international outlets spanning 16 countries including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Spain,Turkey, U.S., Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, China and Thailand. Aside from retail stores, Muji opened online stores since August 2000, for the UK, US, Europe and Japan markets. The wide distribution channels, through numerous retail outlets and the online platforms, make it accessible and convenient for customers to encounter the Muji experience. 

On the other hand, MUJI try their best to do expansion in their country --japan.Muji operates much larger stores in Japan, offering more than twice as many products, including furniture, appliances and a wide range of food items, many of which will not appear in its stores in North America or Europe. In fact, it began life in 1980 as the private-label brand of a major supermarket chain, which is reflected in its full name, Mujirushi Ryohin (no-brand quality goods).