‘Exciting step’: retail clothing giant Uniqlo announces store at CF Polo Park

Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is set to open a store at CF Polo Park this spring — with a second location at St. Vital Centre to follow.

The retail giant, known for its casual wear clothing, has 37 stores in Canada. The Polo Park location will be Winnipeg’s first.

“We have been patiently waiting to share this news, and we are so pleased to make it official,” Whitney Martyniuk, marketing director for Uniqlo Canada, said in a statement.

“The opening of our first Winnipeg location represents an exciting step for Uniqlo in Canada.”

While many weekend shoppers outside and near Polo Park were not familiar with Uniqlo, the ones who did were ecstatic the store would be opening in the next few months.

“I have shopped the store before in other cities and in other countries, and they have good basics, and it’s a good price point,” Caitlin MacGregor, who first shopped at Uniqlo during a vacation in Italy, said Saturday.

“(The clothing) is kind of the equivalent of an H&M. Like, kind of a mid-price point, has good basics, and it is just nice to get some of the options you see in other cities when you go shopping — you want them here in Winnipeg.”

Zohreh Gervais said she has shopped at Uniqlo several times while away from the city.

“I’ve shopped at them in Japan, in Toronto and in Edmonton,” Gervais said, adding she was wearing some clothing items from the store. “The clothing is really durable, which is really nice. It is very classic. It’s hard to find good-quality basics these days. I wear them a lot, and they last for years. And I can shop there with my kids because a lot of their stuff is unisex.

“I’m very excited they are coming to Polo Park.”

Kyle Doherty said he has shopped with the retailer both online and when he was visiting Los Angeles.

“Overall, I like them a lot,” he said. “It’s a good balance of quality and relatively inexpensive. They don’t really have a lot of logos or characters on them — it is really just colours. I’m going to be wearing a blazer I bought there tonight.”

Doherty said he is also looking forward to the opening of Abercrombie & Fitch in the mall.

CF Polo Park general manager Peter Havens said the new Uniqlo would be opening on the second floor of the former Sears space on the south side of the mall, near the food court. Sears closed its Polo Park storefront in 2017 and has opened EQ3 and Zara stores in parts of the space since.

The store’s opening day has not been announced. Uniqlo will hold a series of career fairs to hire for its first Winnipeg store.

It’s part of a few changes coming to Polo Park.

Abercrombie & Fitch is moving into the Hollister space on main floor, while Hollister moves to the former Eddie Bauer spot on the second floor.

Uniqlo’s announced second location is set to open at St. Vital Centre later this year.

The City of Winnipeg issued a permit in December allowing Uniqlo to demolish walls and merge six mall units, and renovate another unit at St. Vital Centre.

A spokesperson for Uniqlo said the St. Vital location was set to open at some point in 2026 but did not offer further details. Management at the mall declined to comment “pertaining to leasing activity at St. Vital Centre.”

Uniqlo Co., Ltd.’s parent company, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., recorded more than 3.4 trillion yen ($30 billion) in revenue in its latest fiscal year (Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2025), a 9.6 per cent increase from the previous year.

Uniqlo planned to open 25 flagship-class stores in North America during its 2025 fiscal year. It made $1.96 billion in revenue from its North American arm in its 2024 fiscal year.

The first Uniqlo opened in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1984. There are more than 2,500 Uniqlo stores worldwide.

Uniqlo opened Canadian stores in B.C., Alberta and Quebec in 2025. The first Canadian location opened in CF Toronto Eaton Centre in 2016.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca