Will Raising Prices Become a Trend in 2022?

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Years of stagnant prices and wages have made Japan Inc nervous about charging more for fear of alienating shoppers and losing market share. But the weakening yen is further driving up costs adding to the inflationary pain following the pandemic.

Clothing retailer Uniqlo will have to raise prices of some products due to higher costs for raw materials and shipping, its owner recently said, becoming a high-profile example of Japanese firms throwing off a decades-old deflationary trend.

Learn more how Uniqlo owner is poised to hike prices in sign of shift for Japan.

Are You No. 1 Globally?

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In a bid to be No. 1 globally, Japan's top retailer opens a flagship Uniqlo store in Manhattan.

The unveiling of Uniqlo's new global flagship store was audacious, even to the jaded habitués of Manhattan's SoHo. At 36,000 square feet, it's the area's second-largest retail showroom after Bloomingdale's, dominating a block packed with rivals like H&M and Banana Republic.

The cool Japanese retailer tried to build buzz by blanketing the city with ads featuring offbeat celebrities like Sonic Youth guitarist Kim Gordon (pictured). It worked: Holiday crowds flocked to the slick emporium that seemed to have popped out of nowhere.

What are you doing to create global buzz?