Levi's opens largest Asia store with new Harajuku flagship

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jul 29, 2019

Levi Strauss & Co. on Friday opened its new Levi’s flagship in Japan’s Harajuku district on Cat Street, marking the company’s largest store in Japan and Asia to date.

Stretching over three levels and close to 7,000 square feet, the new flagship acts as a replacement for the existing Levi's Harajuku store, which first opened in 1999. The new building will also serve as the new home for the company’s Japan team, according to a press release.

In addition to being the largest in the region, the new store is also the first in Asia to introduce Levi’s ‘Lot No.1’ program, the company’s bespoke jean service. Currently, the program is only available in four other locations across the world, including New York, San Francisco, Paris and London.

“Our direct-to-consumer and global marketplace strategy continues to pay off as we continue to invest in truly unique consumer experiences that emphasize customization [and] denim leadership originality,” said Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co.

“That’s why we are launching the Lot No. 1 program in the Harajuku Cat Street store...It is the ultimate expression for personalization with consumers being able to create one-of-a-kind jeans.”

In celebration of the new location, the store will host a variety of events and activities over the next four weeks, including in-store live music showcases, limited customized products and in-store pop-ups. The flagship will further celebrate the local area by participating in collaborations with various Japanese artists and stocking exclusive Made-In-Japan products. The event schedule kicked off on the flagship’s opening day, when the company unveiled 100 special pairs of its famous 501 jean in honor of the opening.

The opening follows Levi’s announcement earlier this month that its sales growth would slow in the second half of the year, due to weakness in its wholesale business and as a result of its fiscal year ending five days ahead of Black Friday.

The company forecast full-year net revenue growth at the high end of the mid-single-digit range after posting revenue growth of 6% in the first half of the year, while also expecting a 100-basis point hit to its revenue from not being able to record the benefit of the shopping holiday.