In Europe, where a record heat wave has continued, global apparel brand UNIQLO halted operations at some local stores or shortened business hours. While rising summer temperatures are usually seen as a factor that boosts sales in the apparel industry, the recent extreme heat has reduced foot traffic and disrupted store operations, emerging as a new management variable.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 9th (local time), UNIQLO, run by Japan's Fast Retailing, temporarily closed some local stores or shortened business hours last month due to the European heat wave. UNIQLO expected increased sales of summer items such as linen shirts and functional clothing, but it reportedly fell short of the anticipated sales effect as the heat wave kept shoppers away.
Fast Retailing is cultivating Europe and North America as key growth pillars. According to Reuters, Fast Retailing raised its 2026 fiscal year annual operating profit outlook to 730 billion yen (about 6.7749 trillion won) from 700 billion yen (Hanwha about 6.4964 trillion won). Growth in overseas operations, including North America and Europe, drove the earnings improvement, but the company is closely watching future management variables such as the European heat wave and the weak yen.
Okazaki Takeshi, Fast Retailing's chief financial officer (CFO), said, "Cooling systems in European cities were not designed with this level of heat in mind," and noted, "It was a very dangerous situation temporarily." According to Fast Retailing, all stores in Europe are currently operating normally.
Europe is assessed as a region that designed urban infrastructure and commercial facilities on the premise of relatively mild summer weather. However, as heat waves have recently recurred not only in Southern Europe but also in the United Kingdom and France, the need to improve cooling systems and working environments is growing.
In particular, the apparel industry is analyzing that the expected sales boost for summer products was limited due to this heat wave. Typically, when temperatures rise, sales of summer items such as short-sleeve shirts and functional clothing increase, but heat beyond a certain level can dampen consumers' outdoor activities and visits to offline stores themselves.
Such heat wave responses are not limited to the retail sector. European corporations are adjusting working hours, such as expanding early-hour shifts, or adding cooling systems to protect employees and ensure stable operation of business sites. Eurostar, the European high-speed rail operator, also said it plans to design its new trains to operate in environments up to 55 Celsius, up from the existing 45 Celsius standard, considering that the trains will run through the 2060s. This is a measure that takes into account increased strain on tracks and power facilities due to heat waves.
Within the industry, climate changes like this heat wave are expected to become a new variable reshaping corporations' expense structures. If heat waves repeat, corporations' investment burdens for expanding cooling systems, improving working environments, and reinforcing logistics and infrastructure are also expected to grow.