Located on the southern point of the Coal Drops Yard retail development, in London, the three-storey Victorian coal shed now houses Japanese retailer Uniqlo’s newest UK store.
The 9,000 sq ft retail unit, which opened its doors to the public on Thursday, 19 September, has been redesigned by British interior design and architecture studio Heatherwick Studio to highlight the space’s industrial Victorian heritage, including exposed brick walls and wooden beams.
The store offers a range of Uniqlo’s women’s and men’s clothing and accessories, including its bestselling adjustable-strap shoulder bag and lightweight, wool and acrylic ‘soufflé’ yarn knitwear, alongside a small selection of childrenswear available in a vending machine on the ground floor.
The Coal Drops Yard location is also the first in the UK to trial Uniqlo’s mobile repair and customisation stations that can be wheeled around the store and its adjoining outdoor terrace, which also houses a custom-made ping pong table.
For the store opening, Uniqlo partnered with students of the neighbouring Central Saint Martins (CSM) college of the University of the Arts London (UAL) to create embroidery designs exclusive to the Coal Drops Yard location, which feature elements from the local neighbourhood, including Regent’s Canal.
Uniqlo’s plans for a Coal Drops Yard store were first reported by Drapers in January. 2024 has also seen the opening of the business’s third store on London’s Oxford Street as well as its first Scottish location on Edinburgh’s Princes Street.