"Sense of Place by Urban Research" has opened a flagship store at Grand Front Osaka. It's 550 square meters in size. It's more than double the size of the "Tennoji MIO Plaza" store, which opened earlier in March and was 230 square meters in size. While the selection of men's and women's clothing and accessories is largely the same, the biggest difference is the fresh flower section. This store features a dedicated refrigerator and a spacious area for authentic fresh flower sales. Apparently, plumbing was also installed for this purpose. We spoke to Takakazu Kawamoto, head of the Second Sales Department of the Business Division Headquarters, about the medium-term goals of Urban Research's first SPA-style fast fashion brand, which is aiming to expand overseas. Kawamoto said, "We're aiming to expand overseas in about five years." While specific locations have not been decided, he hopes to "ultimately target the Asian market." Regarding the number of stores, he also stated, "We hope to have a 30-store network established in three years." The brand will open an average of 10 stores each year, which is the standard store opening speed for a low-priced SPA brand. While this varies depending on the item, a production lot size of 100 pieces per style is considered one standard. Sewing costs for casual bottoms in particular will vary greatly depending on whether or not this lot size can be met. Assuming 10 pieces are delivered to each store, that will amount to 100 pieces for 10 stores. For this reason, the key is how quickly they can establish a 10-store system.

The brand aims to be a true fast fashion brand, with new products arriving every two weeks and selling out in two weeks, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on their future developments.