Cherokee Inc. has entered into an exclusive multi-year license agreement for its Cherokee brand with a Japanese retailer, the Van Nuys-based global brand management company announced. The agreement with Nishimatsuya Chain Co., Ltd. sells baby and children’s products in more than 760 locations throughout Japan. The agreement covers a wide range of lifestyle categories for babies and children, including clothing, footwear, accessories and home products. Nishimatsuya Chain Co.’s focus is to concentrate on new store openings in clusters and to build dominant groups of stores that each serves a defined territory. The company’s goal is to operate more than 1,000 stores by 2015. “We believe the Cherokee brand will dramatically enhance our offerings,” said Kazuo Fujisaki, senior vice president of Nishimatsuya Chain Co. “Our plan is to launch Cherokee products within the next 12 months in over 800 stores nationwide.” Larry Sass, Cherokee’s group president in Asia, said the Cherokee brand is licensed in more than 30 countries around the world and that the company will continue exploring opportunities for further global growth. Jessica Vernabe