MINISO LAND on Shanghai Nanjing Road opens up a new chapter for MINISO‘s brand positioning

During the National Day holiday last month, MINISO opened MINISO LAND, its first flagship global store, on Shanghai’s bustling Nanjing Road. This “IP theme park-style” retail space brings together globally loved IPs like Harry Potter, Sanrio, Disney, and Chiikawa, offering an immersive, narrative-driven environment with interactive features that elevate shopping into a journey of exploration and discovery. Less than a month after its soft launch, MINISO LAND has become a popular new landmark on Nanjing Road, drawing crowds of visitors and shoppers and achieving first-month sales in the tens of millions of yuan.

Spanning nearly 2,000 square meters across three floors on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, MINISO LAND features themed sections such as cute pets, aromatherapy, and blind boxes. Each area is carefully designed to reflect the unique characteristics of the products, creating a highly engaging experience for fans of these beloved IPs. Image: WeChat Account @上海圈子 @上海黄浦

MINISO LAND represents a major milestone in MINISO’s global brand strategy. In February last year, celebrating its tenth anniversary, MINISO announced a new global development strategy, positioning itself as a “global IP co-branded concept store.” As the world’s first immersive IP co-branded flagship, MINISO LAND marks the beginning of this fresh brand direction.

However, MINISO’s aggressive expansion through IP collaborations does carry some risks. Frequent partnerships have driven up licensing costs significantly. According to MINISO’s 2024 interim report, MINISO's 2024 interim report shows that licensing expenses increased 24.2%, consistent with revenue growth. As these costs continue to grow they are likely to impact profit margins. Since IP collaborations rely on strong fan engagement and emotional appeal, there is a risk that MINISO’s competitiveness may wane as contracts expire or licensing fees increase, potentially leading to higher prices for consumers.