Uniqlo, a global casual wear brand run by Japan’s Fast Retailing Co., said Wednesday that it will open Asia’s biggest flagship store in downtown Seoul later this year to strengthen its presence here.

The store, to be located in Myeongdong, one of the main shopping districts in Seoul, will be Uniqlo’s sixth flagship store.

Uniqlo has flagship stores in New York, Paris, London, Shanghai and Osaka.

Flagship stores are core stores for brand-name retailers with greater inventory and more elaborate displays.

Uniqlo said it will open 10 more branches in South Korea in the second half of this year. The brand operates 60 stores nationwide.

“This year is very important for Uniqlo to continue to grow here in South Korea,” said a company official.

Uniqlo’s South Korean sales reached 250 billion won ($232.9 million) in 2010, an eight-fold increase from 2006 when it launched business here. 

(Yonhap News)