Muji Retail (Thailand) Co, the homewear and lifestyle retailer, has fine-tuned its business strategies to reach more Thai customers and drive its sales growth in the longer term.
Akihiro Kamogari, the company's managing director, said it plans to open new Muji stores at smaller shopping complexes to access more Thai consumers.
The company also wants to enlarge Muji store sizes to more than 1,000 square metres from only 500 sq m the past few years, said Mr Kamogari.
At present, there are 11 Muji stores larger than 1,000 sq m.
"We changed our business model by opening a larger store at Samyan Mitrtown last year. More large stores will be opened next year," he said.
The company plans to open its first stand-alone Muji branch today at Robinson Ratchaphruek, deeming it a "roadside model". The two-storey branch has space of 1,700 sq m, 900 sq m of which are on the first floor and 800 sq m on the second floor.
The new Muji store is more than three times larger than the original concept store of 500 sq m.
Muji Ratchaphruek offers a full range of more than 3,000 products including its Asean garments and household categories as well as electrical appliances, which will be sold next year, said Mr Kamogari.
The new branch is a pilot project, with several items priced below 300 baht for the first time in Thailand, he said.
This pilot should enable Muji to access more Thai customers, said Mr Kamogari.
The company also initiated Muji coffee corner, which serves Western-style bakery items, in addition to launching skincare and haircare products as well as Muji curry products at the new branch.
"The Ratchaphruek branch will increase our role as a centre for the community in the area. We adjusted our product prices so that Thai consumers can easily afford them," he said.
The company is committed to adding a variety of products and making its outlets "lifestyle stores for everyday life", said Mr Kamogari.
There are 29 Muji stores in Thailand. Of the total, 90% are in Bangkok and 10% in Chon Buri and Chiang Mai.
The company plans to open 10 new Muji stores in Thailand over the next few years, comprising seven outlets next year and three in 2024, he said.
Mr Kamogari declined to disclose the investment budget.
