Muji to open in New Delhi

Japanese retailer Muji will open a store in New Delhi by this April. It will be spread across 5,000 square feet. The retailer, which sells a wide array of products, ranging from stationery and clothing to furniture and food, already has stores in Mumbai and Bangalore. In India the chain has a joint venture with Reliance Brands.

Reliance Brands runs 100 standalone stores of about 20 international brands in the country. This includes the likes of Steve Madden, Diesel and Brooks Brothers.

Muji is a Japanese lifestyle brand launched in 1980 that sells household goods and clothing. It is an independent two-billion-dollar company, selling more than seven thousand items ranging from furniture to soap. It keeps prices low by paying close attention to processing and packaging. International markets contribute about 35 per cent of the overall sales for the Japanese chain.

Globally, it now has more than 700 stores, 13 of which are in the US, and it plans to increase that number to about 800, mostly by opening stores outside of Japan. The real growth is going to come from aggressive expansion in China, where it will add 72 stores in the next year. Its advertising conveys the sense that life without logos, loud colors, and sharp edges is peaceful and free of distraction and excess.