(Yicai) Jan. 12 -- Uniqlo's operating revenue in the Chinese mainland jumped 20 percent in the first fiscal quarter from a year ago, while China remained the Japanese fast fashion brand's second-largest market after Japan.

Uniqlo's operating revenue in China was JPY180.3 billion (USD1.2 billion) in the three months ended Nov. 30, accounting for 22.2 percent of its total, compared with 20.5 percent a year earlier, its parent firm Fast Retailing said in an earnings report late yesterday.

Yamaguchi-based Uniqlo has 930 stores in the Chinese mainland as of Nov. 30, the most globally. It opened 24 new outlets in China in the first fiscal quarter, with 21 being in the Chinese mainland. 

Uniqlo will open 80 new shops in China in the fiscal year 2024, Fast Retailing said in an earnings conference call yesterday.

Fast Retailing's net profit surged 27 percent to JPY107.8 billion in the first fiscal quarter from a year earlier, according to the company. Operating revenue rose 13 percent to around JPY810.8 billion, with Uniqlo's overseas business becoming a growth pillar and contributing more than half.

Shares of Fast Retailing [HKG: 6288] jumped 5.1 percent to HKD20.80 (USD2.66) apiece as of 1.45 p.m. today.

Editor: Martin Kadiev