The UK high street retailer, NEXT, which has now changed the logo to "next", opened the flagship store in Omotesando, Tokyo.
The area is Tokyo's huge designers brand market, and the fame has grown biger and biger recently, coupled with new flagship store opening of laxuary brands, such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Burbery, as well as other impressing big names, such as Louis Vuitton, Cristian Dior, and Dolce & Gabbana, which have been existing for years.
Next has been in Japan for almost 10 years but has not yet gained high consumers' recognition on the brand
The company who has been in charge of the NEXT brand is a sportwear and sporting goods retailer,Xebio.
Although it takes the second place in the market share of sportwear and sporting goods in Japan, NEXT is their only one brand it carries. So it is hard to say that Next UK chose a professional FASHION retailer to make a business partnership when it came to Japan.
The flagship store stands behind the mainstreet of Omotesando, which even looks as if Next wanted to avoid fierce competition with other famous designers brand.
However, it is not far from the main station's way outs and other exciting places to visit, and considering incredibly high leasing price in the area, it is not bad place, as far as it can attract customers by their goods and customers find it worth coming.
In coming to Omotesando, competitive fashion mecca, they emphasized its UK or rather "London" origin with union jack flag in the ads.
It seems that NEXT has been inclined to follow the UK way, importing the whole store, which means the Japanese branches also have a simmilar shop front and in-store layouts.
Importing or buyeing very british taste goods can be thriving in the different market, as it means that it sells something which Japanese clothing retailers do not deal in.
(However, it has to match Japanese target cusomers' tastes. FCUK also has not hit the market at all. Althouh the goods are very exciting and outlandish here, they are too casual and sexy, in other words more suitable for night clubbing, while Japanese drinking and night out culture is completely different even amongst young people; most people like to drink where they dine and go home by the final train around the mid night, i.e. they dont stay up OUTSIDE in general.)
NEXT's goods are relatively conservative and not so cutting edge nor bringing the latest fashion from London, compared to its counterparts, Top shop, whose trial shop in Japan is located 10minte walk away.
so it caused a littele bit mismatch between what they carry at shop and the exiciting London brand image they want to communicate with new customers.
When you walk in the shop, you will realise how identical their shop is to the UK one.
First of all, store layout and environment have problems.
1. very few numbers of staff attending customers. (even though the store size is small, they hire only 1 staff per one floor in Saturday afternoon)
Most Japanese fashion retailers employ the "personal selling" method, not self-service way like retailers in the UK. So once you pop in the shop, you will end up being chased by one shop assistant forever till you say "im just browsing!".
So this NEXT way is very unusual at least and some customers might feel they are being ignored.
2. the UK style of product displaying that only helps self service
first of all, Japanese people like to shop at department store, where each store space is very limited and therefore, each brand shop only carries a few sizes at shop for presentation and customers will be asked to try on their own size which is kept at and brought for try-on from the department warehouse, what is so called "backyard".
on the other hand, UK high street shop carries all the sizes available, on the shop floor, and if any size is lacking, it means that the size has been already sold out. customer learnt this though their experience, so they don't have to bother shop staff. (Actually, when I just moved to England, I asked shop assistant for my size, and she headed to the rack, at which I just tried to find my size a few sec ago and said "no we dont have it anymore", I just thought "Dont be silly! I know it THERE, that's why I asked you!"only in my mind. but after few times of the same experience, I learnt that they are not there to be asked this kind of thing... so what for are they there? ops!)
if Next Japan follows the UK way,
1- this only facilitates self service, which will not satisfy Japanese customers who are too much used to personal selling.
2- Rather, the store size is limited, if you display each sizes available for one product, the variations in the style, design and colour will end up going so small.
This will definitetly make the store look very boring as it does not optimise the floor space.
Even if each style comes in 4 sizes (6 to 12), do they have to display them all on the floor. despite that they are all in the same design and colour?
They can keep only size 8 or 10 at store, which is equal to the Japanese Midium size, and for the style with colour variation, display one size in one clour (for example, for red, carry size 8 and yellow cary size 10), the nubmer of goods carried on the floor will be at least tripled.
If a customer shows her interst, then it is time for shop staff to tell her "other sizes are available dont hesitate to try- on them!" -- this is what even GAP does in Japan!
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Yet, NEXT products are not very far from what Japanese customer wants, very conservetive but still having some british taste as headings in women's magagizin are always AGITATING "how to look prettiest in the office (who cares!! it's office, just work!)" or " how to look more elegant or look like a rich sophisticated girl from a wealthy family in a blind date or a matching party** (I dont want to be considered as a part of them!!)"
So there might be someday that NEXT wins the game
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