Uniqlo

When you walk beneath Uniqlo’s glowing red sign into the brightly lit store, the first thing you’ll notice are the meticulously colour-coordinated shelves, arranged by jeans, T-shirts, cashmere jumpers and the brand’s iconic ULD (ultra-light down) vests.

The Japanese brand’s flagship Emporium store is housed over four floors (that’s 2150 square metres of shopping space), and covers men’s, women’s and children’s clothing. It’s popular for its affordable, quality basics in a spectrum of colours, truly spoiling shoppers for choice.

All three Melbourne stores are spacious, light and easy to navigate. Well-dressed brand ambassadors smile down at you from posters on the walls – Pharrell Williams, local street artist Rone, even chef Andrew McConnell.

If you have any hesitation or enquiry, you can bet on finding an eager Uniqlo employee by your side within seconds – there are 320 employees in Melbourne alone.

There are more than 1300 stores worldwide, and Australia was Uniqlo’s 16th market. If you’ve been to a Uniqlo store anywhere else in the world, don’t expect a dramatic reinvention. It’s found a formula that works, and it's sticking with it.