Uniqlo reopens Covent Garden store with customer-focused concept

Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo reopens its newly expanded Covent Garden flagship store in London this morning, March 26, after temporarily closing for renovation earlier this month.

The new-look Covent Garden store, which originally opened in 2023, has been redesigned and expanded to “elevate the shopping experience,” in response to customer feedback, including adding more “magic” self-checkout tills, fitting rooms and seating areas, reorganising product displays in a more gender-fluid layout, and adding lower fixtures to enable customers to view more of the store.

The overall shop floor has increased from 13,900 to 18,300 square feet, upsized by 30 percent due to Uniqlo taking over vacant office space on the first floor, which has allowed the retailer to create “a more spacious, intuitive, and enjoyable shopping experience”.

In a statement, Uniqlo states that the newly enhanced store reflects “an ongoing commitment to evolving retail environments in step with how customers shop today,” by making the layout more convenient and easier to shop for customers by “blending thoughtful design with practicality”.

Highlights of the expanded store include the introduction of a dedicated kids and babies’ section, broadening the store's offering, and making Uniqlo’s LifeWear accessible for the whole family, as well as the largest dedicated UT space and a special area for Uniqlo’s partnership with Transport for London (TfL).

Practical touches include the addition of till points on every floor, increasing the number of self-checkout stations to 21, alongside 7 staffed tills to improve “convenience and flow,” as well as allowing customers to pay by cash for the first time at the “magic” tills. This marks the first UK store where Uniqlo has allowed cash payment from its self-checkout tills, and this has been added due to the large number of tourists the store attracts.

The store has also added a click-and-collect service, alongside a bigger Re.Uniqlo Studio, which allows customers to access repair, remake and exclusive embroidery services, including new exclusive London landmark embroidery designs, following the success of a similar initiative in its Scottish stores.

Alessandro Dudech, chief operating officer at Uniqlo UK, said: “Covent Garden holds a special place in Uniqlo’s UK journey, and this expansion allows us to respond directly to what our customers have told us they want - more space, more accessibility, and an even better shopping experience.

“By growing the shop floor and expanding our offer to include kids and babies, we are ensuring the store continues to meet the needs of our diverse London community while staying true to our LifeWear philosophy.”