Case

Uniqlo (Fast Retailing) and the SPA model

Most products are made at partner factories in Mainland China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India; production offices sit in Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Dhaka, Jakarta and Bengaluru; technical specialists (takumi) visit factories weekly; many items are made in lots of about one million units; the company negotiates directly with material makers.

Industry
Apparel retail
Frameworks applied
The SPA closed loop (Uniqlo)Make-or-buy decisionSupplier relationship continuum
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Frameworks applied

This case is read through the frameworks below.

  • The SPA closed loop (Uniqlo)How can a fashion retailer that designs and sells its own products but relies on partner factories link customer feedback to production and stock decisions?
  • Make-or-buy decisionWhen an operations or purchasing manager weighs making a component or service in-house against buying it in, what should count besides cost?
  • Supplier relationship continuumWhen choosing or reviewing a supplier, should a purchasing manager keep the relationship transactional and price-led, or move towards a long-term alliance with joint planning?

Sources

References

Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.

  1. Cao, Y. (2024) ‘Strategies for enhancing supply chain resilience in enterprises post-pandemic: a case study of Uniqlo’, Academic Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 6(1), pp. 79–81.doi:10.54097/42f6qm81Source page
  2. Darna, A.S. and Lubis, M. (2025) ‘Synergizing omnichannel order management and CRM for competitive advantage: a case study of UNIQLO's digital transformation’, Acceleration, Quantum, Information Technology and Algorithm Journal, 2(2), pp. 52–59.doi:10.62123/aqila.v2i2.83Source page
  3. Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. (2024) UNIQLO integrated report 2024.No DOIfastretailing.comSource page
  4. Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. (2026) UNIQLO business model (page last updated 9 March 2026).No DOIfastretailing.comSource page
  5. Lan, Q. (2024) ‘Advantages, problems and strategies of Uniqlo supply chain’, Journal of Business and Marketing, 1(3), pp. 1–5.doi:10.62517/jbm.202409301Source page
  6. Widia, A. and Hapsari, A.Y. (2025) ‘The impact of the SPA business model on Uniqlo's financial performance and global competitiveness’, Jurnal Ilmiah MEA (Manajemen, Ekonomi, dan Akuntansi), 9(2), pp. 960–974.doi:10.31955/mea.v9i2.5737Source page
  7. Yen, B. and Lentini, D. (2016) Uniqlo: a supply chain going global (case 15/562C). Hong Kong: Asia Case Research Centre, University of Hong Kong.No DOIacrc.hku.hkSource page