The massive retail space on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street that was formerly home to Brooks Brothers (and is now vacant) may soon welcome Uniqlo, making the Japanese owner the proud proprietor of one of the most expensive retail properties in the city (if not the nation).
As sources told Crain's, the lease on the building "is 99% done -- it's all but signed." Uniqlo's broker, on the other hand, denied that a lease is out, and the leasing agent for the new space (at 666 Fifth Avenue) declined to comment. If Uniqlo does indeed land the space, it will have bid out a number of other big brands that have been interested in the space, including TopShop, according to Crain's, and will be a huge expansion for the brand, which opened its first U.S. in Soho in 2006 to much acclaim. The brand has only picked up more buzz with the Jil Sander's +J line for the brand, and would make for a tantalizing addition to a stretch of midtown dominated by massive spaces like the NBA store, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Juicy Couture.
