NEW YORK — Uniqlo, in the midst of a massive publicity blitz for a new 36,000-square-foot flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo that will be its largest venue, has a secret: There could be a deal for a store nearly twice the size in the Meatpacking District.
The Japanese value retailer would not confirm it was working on such a deal. “It is our policy that until an agreement has been signed, we cannot discuss potential real estate opportunities,” said a spokeswoman for the company. “However, we are always looking for new locations.”
Uniqlo is one of several retailers interested in taking over a retail property at 401 West 14th Street, confirmed Robert Futterman, president and chief executive officer of Robert K. Futterman & Associates, which is marketing the property for Taconic Investment Partners, the owner.
“I think Uniqlo is a great company, but it’s certainly not a done deal,” said Futterman. “They are one of the many tenants interested in the site.”
Other prospective tenants looking at the space are small department stores, said Futterman. Barneys and Apple were two retailers rumored to be interested.
Other sources said a Uniqlo deal for the 60,000-square-foot space, which sits on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Ninth Avenue, at the hub of the Meatpacking District, is close to complete. A Uniqlo store in the area would bring a sea change in the fashion customers have come to expect from a neighborhood that is home to Stella McCartney, Jeffrey New York, Alexander McQueen and Scoop.
“At 60,000 square feet, it would become the Uniqlo district,” said Jeffrey Roseman, executive vice president of Newmark Knight Frank Retail. “The next stores in the area could be the Gap and Bath & Body Works.”
Futterman admitted Uniqlo would be an unusual tenant for the building. “It’s hard to imagine somebody more moderate in that space because the rents are so high in the area,” he said. “I see it lending itself a bit better to the more luxury retailers out there.”