Fast Retailing Profit, Revenue Sharply Higher on Robust Global Uniqlo Growth

By Ronnie Harui

Fast Retailing posted sharply higher profit and revenue for the first half of its fiscal year, thanks to robust global growth of its Uniqlo casual-clothing chain.

The Japanese owner of Uniqlo and other brands said Thursday that net profit rose 19.6% from a year earlier to 279.29 billion yen, equivalent to $1.76 billion, for the six months ended Feb. 28. The result beat the Y252.4 billion estimate in a Visible Alpha poll of analysts.

Revenue rose 14.8% from a year earlier to Y2.055 trillion in the first half. That beat the Y2.01 trillion estimate in Visible Alpha's poll. Operating profit jumped 31.7% to Y400.67 billion.

Factors including the robust first-half results prompted Fast Retailing to raise its earnings guidance for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31. The company now expects net profit of Y480.00 billion and revenue of Y3.900 trillion, compared with earlier forecasts of Y450.00 billion in net profit and Y3.800 trillion in revenue.

In the fiscal first half, Uniqlo's Japan revenue rose 7.4% from a year earlier to Y581.7 billion, while Uniqlo's international revenue climbed 22.4% from a year earlier to Y1.2413 trillion.

Based on the upward revision in its earnings guidance for this fiscal year, Fast Retailing also raised its fiscal-year-end dividend-per-share estimate to Y320.00 from Y270.00 and its total dividend-per-share estimate to Y640.00 from Y540.00.

Write to Ronnie Harui at ronnie.harui@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 09, 2026 03:41 ET (07:41 GMT)