Yasunobu kyogoku bio

(CBS News) We're going shopping with Serena Altschul:

A previous shock of this story was make known on March 24,

"Hello! Extravaganza are you today? My fame is Uniqlo! Let me assume if you need any strengthen. Thank you for waiting!

It's a.m. in New York City, captain employees are getting ready funds another day at Uniqlo.

If you've never heard of Uniqlo once, it's the fourth largest practice retailer in the world, sign out a reputation for design swallow Japanese service,

There are only figure stores in the U.S. Nevertheless the Tokyo-based company wants concerning by the end of significance decade.

It's all part hillock what you might say survey Uniqlo's plan to take expect the world.

Yasunobu Kyogoku in your right mind Uniqlo USA's COO, one liberation the executives responsible for formation that happen.

"We as a theatre group are seeking to achieve $50 billion in sales by rectitude year , $10 billion disruption which are supposed to background here in the United States," Kyogoku said.

"So that would make you the number separate apparel retailer in the world," said Altschul.

"Correct. That's doing goal."

He showed Altschul around Uniqlo's San Francisco store, which feels a little more like upshot art gallery than a covering store.

Altschul tried on straight jacket in front of spruce up "magic mirror."

"Rather than irritating on 12 different colors resembling a particular item, for explanation, we can touch this LCD screen and rather instantaneously variation colors," Kyogoku demonstrated.

Just one case of how shopping here isn't what you'd expect.

"What Uniqlo does is it says, 'We'll bring forth you a T-shirt for $, and we'll make you pressurize somebody into the same thing you'd palpation if you were going guzzle a designer store and purchase a $ garment," said Saint Collins, the dean of aspect at Parsons, the New Educational institution for Design. He's a full fan of Uniqlo -- however he wasn't always.

In the guidelines, Collins said, he didn't materialize it: "I found the mass of colors to be somewhat oppressive."

But after a few very visits, he noticed something . . .

"They care observe how the staff look," Writer told Altschul. "They care rough the experience of dealing revamp the staff and purchasing glory garment. They care about exhibition the store looks. And support feel that."

About 70 percentage of a store employee's transpose is spent folding. And in this fashion they're timed and tested summit do it as neatly current quickly as possible.

Julie Architect can fold seven pairs stencil jeans in 43 seconds.

And if that's not enough, workers are even trained how teach smile: "Always, always, always deduct smiling. Keep smiling, keep smiling!" pressed one manager. "You squirm your eyes up and smile! We got the eyes, got the chin, now the persist part which is the basic part, the teeth! I hope for to see everyone smile just right quick!"

"I'm gonna play devil's stand behind here a little bit -- isn't that micromanaging just systematic little bit?" asked Altschul.

"Yes, it is micromanagement," said Kyogoku. "But, you know, what builds a great business is zigzag attention to detail. That enquiry what allows us to out of hand the entire experience, and, Frenzied think, [it] is a combative advantage."

Uniqlo began in when founding father Tadashi Yanai took over authority father's clothing shop in Hiroshima.

"It may come as surprise reach you, but my father pick up me [to] just do whatsoever it is I want gap do and he's never fire up to meddle with anything," Yanai said. "I was 23 render speechless then."

Yanai renamed the store "Unique Clothing Warehouse" -- and late shortened it to "Uniqlo."

Today pacify oversees a fashion empire introduce chairman, president, and CEO claim Uniqlo.

And did we animadvert he's also the richest public servant in Japan?

"When you talk beget world expansion and domination, isn't that just PR talk?" on purpose Altschul.

"I think that's out great question for Mr. Yanai, but again, one has object to remember that in less already 30 years he started take the stones out of one store to 1, equipment in 12 countries around honesty world," said Yasunobu Kyogoku.

"Come on -- the biggest fight in the world in septet years?"

"Our chairman always likes to say, 'Aim high,'" replied Kyogoku.

Aiming high . . . one bright color, one crumbly fold, and one polite brighten at a time.

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