Tadashi Yanai, chairman and chief executive of the company that owns the Uniqlo chain, used to liken his casual clothing stores to "vending machines" that continuously spit out products to thirsty consumers.

In just two years up until August 2001, Fast Retailing Co.'s revenues grew nearly four-fold to more than 400 billion yen. During the spree, shoppers bought 36.5 million inexpensive fleece jackets -- roughly one for every three people in Japan.

During this time, the company aggressively opened new stores, growing from 368 to 519.