Shoppers wait in long queues during grand opening of Vietnam’s first Uniqlo store
Sunday, December 08, 2019, 15:17 GMT+7
Shoppers have had to wait for at least an hour to enter Vietnam’s first-ever store of famous Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo following its grand opening in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Friday.
Uniqlo Dong Khoi, located at the Parkson Saigon Tourist Plaza on the corner of Le Thanh Ton and Dong Khoi Streets in District 1, was officially open on Friday morning.
The three-story store, which covers a total area of more than 3,000 square meters, welcomed over 2,000 guests on its first day, according to a Uniqlo representative.
The number of customers appeared to be even larger on Saturday.
According to a local motorbike taxi driver, the waiting line nearly doubled that on Friday.
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| Shoppers wait in front of the store on the morning of December 7, 2019. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre |
Nguyen Thi Hong Nhi, a second-year university student, said she had waited more than 45 minutes and was still not able to get inside the venue.
A lot of people were still waiting in front of the shop as of 8:00 pm.
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| Shoppers wait in front of the store on the morning of December 7, 2019. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre |
According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters, Uniqlo Dong Khoi has two entrances, one of which on Dong Khoi Street and the other on Le Thanh Ton Street.
Due to the large crowd of shoppers, they were asked to queue up along the sidewalk of Le Thanh Ton Street, while the entrance on Dong Khoi Street was reserved only for exiting customers.
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| Many middle-aged customers are spotted among the crowd. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre |
Staff members have been tasked with handing out drinks and umbrellas for customers during their wait, while many security guards have also been on duty to ensure order.
Uniqlo, a subsidiary of Japan’s Fast Retailing Company, has opened more than 2,200 stores in 24 markets across the world.
Vietnam is the sixth country in Southeast Asia where the brand has set up shop, following Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
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| The long wait continued as of 6:00 pm December 7, 2019. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre |
The retailer established its business in Vietnam in August 2018, with a charter capital of US$8.8 million.
Uniqlo Dong Khoi is considered one of Uniqlo's largest stores in Southeast Asia.
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| Employees hand free drinks to customers. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre |
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| Foreign tourists take photos of the queue. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre |
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| A large number of shoppers entered Uniqlo Dong Khoi on the evening of December 7, 2019. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre |
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| Employees hand shopping baskets to customers inside the store. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre |
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| A woman leaves the store with multiple shopping bags. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre |
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| A customer shows her receipt worth over VND20 million (US$860). Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre |
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