Muji is short for Mujirushi Ryohin in N.Y.

[Bucky]

On a cold, windy morning in New York's Soho neighborhood, more than a dozen shoppers stood in line for an hour to be the first warmed by a retailer from the land of the rising sun. On Friday, Muji opened its first U.S. location, a 3,200-square-foot store packed with logo-less, stripped-down kitchenware, bedding and clothing. The big question is not why Muji decided to expand in the U.S. (or whether they have enough beige cardboard speakers pencils and to satisfy demand), but what took so long?

the rest of the story is here
http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/goods/style/2007/11/19/Muji-Opens-in-New-York

[yanpa]

They've been in Europe (UK / France) since the 90's and are expanding eastwards, reaching Berlin early next year.

[prolly]

last week when I walked by, the place had a line that rivaled that of the Mac store opening a year or so ago. frankly, i don't think i pay Enough for stuff like cotton swaps and cardboard furniture, so i may make a trip there once the holidays are over and the soho touristas are reduced.

[kamome]

last week when I walked by, the place had a line that rivaled that of the Mac store opening a year or so ago. frankly, i don't think i pay Enough for stuff like cotton swaps and cardboard furniture, so i may make a trip there once the holidays are over and the soho touristas are reduced.

You live in Manhattan, prolly?

[prolly]

yep. Artist.

You live in Manhattan, prolly?

[Taro Toporific]

[floatr][/floatr] Will Muji, no name brand, catch on in U.S.?[/B]
NEW YORK, April 24 KYODO
Can a Japanese retailer selling furniture, household items and stationery compete in the $4.2-trillion U.S. retail industry against the likes of corporate giants such as Target and Ikea?
The president of Muji U.S.A. Ltd., which will open its U.S. flagship store in Manhattan's Times Square next month, believes that the company can succeed in such a market.
''I want Muji products to become part of the lives of Americans of all backgrounds,'' Hiroyoshi Azami, president of Muji U.S.A., told Kyodo News in an interview.
The company, owned by Ryohin Keikaku Co., is committed to opening 30 to 40 stores across the United States in the next five years.
Most Americans are unlikely to have heard of Muji before, but the brand is quickly finding a niche among urbanites in New York City where the retailer opened its first U.S. store in SoHo last November.
New Yorkers are also encountering Muji at the MoMa Design Store, a store for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), which began carrying its products in 2004.
''I love Muji,'' Craig Broxton, an account executive for Design Within Reach, a modern furniture retailer, said. The 29-year-old recently bought a black bag and two food containers from the SoHo store. Having first seen the products at the MoMa store, Broxton was drawn to the company's innovative use of plastics.
Muji, which translates as ''no-brand quality products,'' is an established brand in Japan for basic everyday items sold at reasonable prices. None of Muji's 7,000 products, including beds, dishes, jackets, underwear and notebooks, have a logo or are wrapped in fancy, distinctive packaging. In fact it is the lack of a name brand that many find enticing.
Muji's philosophy is to offer ''good products at low prices'' by eliminating extra packaging costs that do not impact the quality of the product itself. The concept is to use inexpensive materials overlooked by other manufacturers, avoid over-processing materials and minimize packaging. ''As a result, our products are simple,'' Azami said.
The concept has driven the popularity of Muji products not only in Japan but also in other Asian countries and Europe since the company's inception in 1981. Now Muji is aspiring to become the preferred brand for U.S. buyers.
So far in New York City, Muji has enjoyed a good start. The MoMa Design Store has lent prestige to Muji's name by carrying its products alongside those of world-class artists and designers, such as Charles Eames and Isamu Noguchi. Thanks to the design-conscious consumers of New York, Muji's SoHo store has quickly become profitable.
If Muji's goal is to become a niche brand targeting trendy urbanites, it is well on its way.
Azami, however, emphasized that that was not the company's aim. ''I don't want to just be accepted by design-conscious people or people who like Asian tastes...I want (Muji to be) accepted as a generic brand,'' he said.
While most brands target a certain segment of consumers, the purpose of being ''a no brand'' is to appeal to all people by ''simply providing products that are comfortable and convenient,'' Azami explained.
Going beyond an appeal to trend-conscious New Yorkers and moving into the households of average American consumers will pose challenges for Muji as it competes with other big names, such as Crate and Barrel, and Ikea, which offer diverse products at low prices. Target is another formidable rival because it sells products made by popular designers at much lower prices than Muji.
''If all they were doing is bringing in other products that are available at Target or Ikea or whoever, it would probably be a tough entry,'' Doug Fleener, president of retail consulting company Dynamic Experience Group, explained, but added, ''There's always room in the U.S. for innovative retailers with fresh products.''
Often hidden in the seemingly simple designs are functions that make Muji's products stand out. Its toilet brush, for example, has a small cover to protect water from splashing during cleanups. Their summer sheets are made of special linen that absorbs moisture better than cotton.
While good design and functionality may also be Muji's biggest selling point, the trick is translating that into making those functions appealing to consumers.
With minimal advertising Muji must rely on how its stores ''communicate'' with potential buyers and how they are enticed by visually appealing yet simple merchandise displays.
At the SoHo store, employees can be seen busily reorganizing shelves to make sure the products are presented as perfectly as possible while consumers are largely left alone to leisurely cruise through the aisles.
''It made me feel like I was escaping from commodity culture,'' said Jon Beller, a 42-year-old professor who stepped out of the SoHo store on a recent Friday night with his family after shopping there for the first time.
Azami expects the flagship store near the densely populated Times Square area to draw professionals who work in the area and tourists as well. Located in the lobby of The New York Times Building, the store is slightly larger than the SoHo store -- and will carry about 2,500 products.
In addition to that new store, Azami is planning to open small outlets in New York airports beginning this year. He hopes to raise brand recognition nationally by exposing the brand to travelers from across the country.
The biggest challenge that lies ahead for Muji is lowering its prices
-- which is particularly crucial amid the recent economic downturn that has hit the United States. Currently the prices at the SoHo store are about 30 percent higher than in Japan, which is not consistent with the company's aim to ''offer good things at low prices.''
The higher SoHo store prices are due to the extra cost of custom duties as well as the added price of importing products from China to Japanese warehouses and then sending them to the United States.
As the operation expands, Azami said, the company is considering outsourcing some of its manufacturing to plants in Latin America.
Even with low prices, some questions remain as to whether Muji will be accepted widely by Americans from all segments of society.
''I think they are better off staying in major metro-markets,'' said Vivian Ma, a retail analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., an investment firm in New York. Although Ma counts Muji as her favorite brand, she does not think an average ''55-year-old traditional taste person'' from small-town America would shift his or her brand preference.
The difficulty of expanding into American suburbs can be learned by the experience of Uniqlo. The Japanese clothing retailer opened a store in the New Jersey suburbs in 2005 and two more later on. Eventually all three closed down.
''There's no brand recognition so people didn't understand our brand,'' says Keiko Yamamoto, a spokeswoman at Fast Retailing Co., the brand's parent company. In contrast to its business outside of the city, she pointed to the success of Uniqlo's flagship store in Manhattan that is located just a few blocks from Muji SoHo.
Muji may do well in ''New York, Chicago, San Francisco,'' said Fleener of Dynamic Experience Group. ''But as you get into the mid-level cities, is there enough of a population base who will be wanting that design? I'm sure that's something they're out to learn.''
(Nanae Kenmochi is a New York-based freelancer)
==Kyodo

[Taro Toporific]

[floatr] ][/floatr] Will Muji, no name brand, catch on in U.S.?
NEW YORK, April 24 KYODO
Can a Japanese retailer selling furniture, household items and stationery compete in the $4.2-trillion U.S. retail industry against the likes of corporate giants such as Target and Ikea?
The president of Muji U.S.A. Ltd., which will open its U.S. flagship store in Manhattan's Times Square next month, believes that the company can succeed in such a market.
''I want Muji products to become part of the lives of Americans of all backgrounds,'' Hiroyoshi Azami, president of Muji U.S.A., told Kyodo News in an interview.
The company, owned by Ryohin Keikaku Co., is committed to opening 30 to 40 stores across the United States in the next five years.
Most Americans are unlikely to have heard of Muji before, but the brand is quickly finding a niche among urbanites in New York City where the retailer opened its first U.S. store in SoHo last November.
New Yorkers are also encountering Muji at the MoMa Design Store, a store for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), which began carrying its products in 2004.
''I love Muji,'' Craig Broxton, an account executive for Design Within Reach, a modern furniture retailer, said. The 29-year-old recently bought a black bag and two food containers from the SoHo store. Having first seen the products at the MoMa store, Broxton was drawn to the company's innovative use of plastics.
Muji, which translates as ''no-brand quality products,'' is an established brand in Japan for basic everyday items sold at reasonable prices. None of Muji's 7,000 products, including beds, dishes, jackets, underwear and notebooks, have a logo or are wrapped in fancy, distinctive packaging. In fact it is the lack of a name brand that many find enticing.
Muji's philosophy is to offer ''good products at low prices'' by eliminating extra packaging costs that do not impact the quality of the product itself. The concept is to use inexpensive materials overlooked by other manufacturers, avoid over-processing materials and minimize packaging. ''As a result, our products are simple,'' Azami said.
The concept has driven the popularity of Muji products not only in Japan but also in other Asian countries and Europe since the company's inception in 1981. Now Muji is aspiring to become the preferred brand for U.S. buyers.
So far in New York City, Muji has enjoyed a good start. The MoMa Design Store has lent prestige to Muji's name by carrying its products alongside those of world-class artists and designers, such as Charles Eames and Isamu Noguchi. Thanks to the design-conscious consumers of New York, Muji's SoHo store has quickly become profitable.
If Muji's goal is to become a niche brand targeting trendy urbanites, it is well on its way.
Azami, however, emphasized that that was not the company's aim. ''I don't want to just be accepted by design-conscious people or people who like Asian tastes...I want (Muji to be) accepted as a generic brand,'' he said.
While most brands target a certain segment of consumers, the purpose of being ''a no brand'' is to appeal to all people by ''simply providing products that are comfortable and convenient,'' Azami explained.
Going beyond an appeal to trend-conscious New Yorkers and moving into the households of average American consumers will pose challenges for Muji as it competes with other big names, such as Crate and Barrel, and Ikea, which offer diverse products at low prices. Target is another formidable rival because it sells products made by popular designers at much lower prices than Muji.
''If all they were doing is bringing in other products that are available at Target or Ikea or whoever, it would probably be a tough entry,'' Doug Fleener, president of retail consulting company Dynamic Experience Group, explained, but added, ''There's always room in the U.S. for innovative retailers with fresh products.''
Often hidden in the seemingly simple designs are functions that make Muji's products stand out. Its toilet brush, for example, has a small cover to protect water from splashing during cleanups. Their summer sheets are made of special linen that absorbs moisture better than cotton.
While good design and functionality may also be Muji's biggest selling point, the trick is translating that into making those functions appealing to consumers.
With minimal advertising Muji must rely on how its stores ''communicate'' with potential buyers and how they are enticed by visually appealing yet simple merchandise displays.
At the SoHo store, employees can be seen busily reorganizing shelves to make sure the products are presented as perfectly as possible while consumers are largely left alone to leisurely cruise through the aisles.
''It made me feel like I was escaping from commodity culture,'' said Jon Beller, a 42-year-old professor who stepped out of the SoHo store on a recent Friday night with his family after shopping there for the first time.
Azami expects the flagship store near the densely populated Times Square area to draw professionals who work in the area and tourists as well. Located in the lobby of The New York Times Building, the store is slightly larger than the SoHo store -- and will carry about 2,500 products.
In addition to that new store, Azami is planning to open small outlets in New York airports beginning this year. He hopes to raise brand recognition nationally by exposing the brand to travelers from across the country.
The biggest challenge that lies ahead for Muji is lowering its prices
-- which is particularly crucial amid the recent economic downturn that has hit the United States. Currently the prices at the SoHo store are about 30 percent higher than in Japan, which is not consistent with the company's aim to ''offer good things at low prices.''
The higher SoHo store prices are due to the extra cost of custom duties as well as the added price of importing products from China to Japanese warehouses and then sending them to the United States.
As the operation expands, Azami said, the company is considering outsourcing some of its manufacturing to plants in Latin America.
Even with low prices, some questions remain as to whether Muji will be accepted widely by Americans from all segments of society.
''I think they are better off staying in major metro-markets,'' said Vivian Ma, a retail analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., an investment firm in New York. Although Ma counts Muji as her favorite brand, she does not think an average ''55-year-old traditional taste person'' from small-town America would shift his or her brand preference.
The difficulty of expanding into American suburbs can be learned by the experience of Uniqlo. The Japanese clothing retailer opened a store in the New Jersey suburbs in 2005 and two more later on. Eventually all three closed down.
''There's no brand recognition so people didn't understand our brand,'' says Keiko Yamamoto, a spokeswoman at Fast Retailing Co., the brand's parent company. In contrast to its business outside of the city, she pointed to the success of Uniqlo's flagship store in Manhattan that is located just a few blocks from Muji SoHo.
Muji may do well in ''New York, Chicago, San Francisco,'' said Fleener of Dynamic Experience Group. ''But as you get into the mid-level cities, is there enough of a population base who will be wanting that design? I'm sure that's something they're out to learn.''
(Nanae Kenmochi is a New York-based freelancer)
==Kyodo