Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing said on Thursday it expects a stronger rebound in full-year operating profit driven by a solid performance in East Asian countries hit less hard by virus lockdowns. The Japanese clothing empire forecast 2020-21 operating profit of 255 billion yen (€1.9bn) – up slightly from its previous estimate of 245 billion yen. This marks a rise of 70.7 per cent from the year before, when business began to be hit worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic with many shops forced to close for extended periods. In the first six months of this financial year, Fast Retailing logged a 0.5 per cent dip in revenue year-on-year to 1,202.8 billion yen. But operating profit in the same period was up 22.9 per cent from 2019/20 at 167.9 billion yen. “Performance in most regions of Uniqlo International, as well as within Global Brands, reported declines in revenue and profits due to the severe impact of COVID-19,” the firm said in a statement. “However, a strong rise in profit at Uniqlo Japan and in the Uniqlo Greater China region, both of which saw a more limited impact from the pandemic, contributed to the increase in group consolidated profit.” After years of aggressive...