No IPO But Online Giant Shein To Open Tokyo Store This Month

And so, it’s finally happening. Chinese fast fashion giant Shein is to open its first-ever permanent store later this month as the online apparel retailer takes the next step after multiple pop-ups.

A firm favorite of Gen Z consumers, the company has experienced soaring sales in the U.S. and globally and in April was valued at an extraordinary $100 billion.

The store, which will be the company’s first full-scale bricks-and-mortar space in the world, is located on Cat Street in the fashion district of Harajuku, Tokyo and will open its doors on November 13.

Customers will be able to browse items in the store and make purchases by scanning QR codes on tags via the Shein App. However, they will not be able to purchase directly from the store, but instead will order apparel and accessories for deliverey.

The space will span 2,160 sq ft over two floors and will include three fitting rooms and an Instagram photo booth. The store will also be set up so that it can be converted to host fashion shows and designer events, according to a Shein spokesperson.

The permanent opening follows the launch of Shein’s Osaka pop-up store, which will remain open for three months until January 27, and several other Japanese pop-ups over recent months. The Osaka pop-up store houses nine fitting rooms and displays around 800 items, ranging from men’s and women’s wear to home and pet products.

It also come over 18 months after the possibility of Shein moving into physical retail was first mooted.

A Shein spokesperson said: “Shein’s focus remains digital-first. Shein customers can experience our fashion and lifestyle products at our pop-ups around the world. We will continue to expand our pop-up roadmap and keep making the beauty of fashion accessible to all.”

Shein Pop-Ups Worldwide

Indeed, the online apparel giant has continued to test out and trial physical shopping environments, hosting several retail pop-ups around the world this year.

Most recently, in September Shein held a two-day event in conjunction with London Fashion Week at Noho Studios, with merchandise, a manicure bar with a state-of-the-art nail machine, plus a showcases for the Shein X initiative, which champions young and emerging designers.

In a release, the retailer said of the pop-up: “Shein pride themselves in making the latest fashion and beauty trends accessible to everyone, and with this curated edit of the latest trends hope to empower shoppers to make the street their catwalk this September.”

The company is also holding a pop-up event at the Jervis Shopping Center in Dublin, Ireland this week.

Last month Shein launched a new online peer-to-peer resale platform in the U.S. to allow users to purchase and sell previously-owned Shein apparel.

The platform is being called Shein Exchange and is intended to simplify the resale process, making it easy for sellers to list their items on the platform.

Earlier this year the company expanded its Singapore office after making a Singapore firm its de facto holding company, amid a flurry of filings by the online fast-fashion retailer, plus reports that Shein’s founder and CEO, Chris Xu, had become a permanent resident of the city-state.

Shein last year de-registered its main business, Nanjing Top Plus Information Technology Co Ltd, according to Chinese corporate filings, and those developments were thought to bolster previous rumors that Shein was busying itself to list in New York this year.

However, in February Reuters reported that the company had shelved plans for its U.S. market listing.