Fast Retailing Founder Tadashi Yanai will see his brand score a marketing coup when Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori meet in the semifinal of the U.S. Open, according to Rin Ichino of BLOOMBERG. Both players "will be wearing his Uniqlo brand clothes at the final Grand Slam of the year in New York." Uniqlo spokesperson Eriko Muteki said, "It’s a Uniqlo war on one court. It’s fantastic for us to have both of these stars battling each other while wearing our clothes." The matches "are a boost for the no-frills casual apparel brand as Yanai takes it global, relying on flagship stores in cities including New York, Paris and Shanghai to fuel sales growth that has fizzled in Japan." The on-court success "also elevates Nishikori’s status among star Japanese athletes." Nishikori "has also signed endorsement deals" with Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Delta Air Lines Inc., luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer and Japanese financial services firm Jaccs Co. Pay from sponsors totaled more than $10.5M last year and Forbes magazine "ranked him as the world’s 10th best-paid tennis player." Yanai, Japan’s richest person, "introduced tennis sponsorships after building Uniqlo into Asia’s biggest clothing chain." Yanai, who is worth $16.5B, has ambitions for Fast Retailing to overtake Zara owner Inditex SA and "become the world’s top clothing retailer" (BLOOMBERG, 9/4).
