Fast Retailing Holds Early Welcoming Ceremony for New Recruits

Tokyo, March 3 (Jiji Press)–Uniqlo casual clothing chain operator Fast Retailing Co. held a welcoming ceremony for new recruits on Tuesday, around a month ahead of other Japanese companies. The early ceremony is intended to prepare new employees for the busy Golden Week holiday period in Japan from late April to early May. The company newly hired 509 workers this year, an increase of 89 from last year. Of them, 500 attended the day’s ceremony. “Let’s enjoy working together to achieve our goal of creating a better world through the clothing business,” Fast Retailing Chairman and President Tadashi Yanai said in a speech. Representing the newcomers, Hana Takekawa said, “We will grow into personnel who can provide value to global customers, based on skills developed on the job.” Another representative, Abhishek Bagri from India, vowed to continue efforts to meet expectations. After about a week of training, the new employees will be assigned to Uniqlo and other stores nationwide. Until last year, Fast Retailing had held separate welcoming ceremonies for new employees whose jobs require relocations and for those whose jobs do not. This year, however, it held a unified ceremony. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]