26-27_Miniso.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 09/01/2026 17:49 Page 1
THE BIG INTERVIEW: MINISO
Life is for
FUN
Inset: MINISO’s global pop-up strategy features character installations, themed environments and interactive elements.
With more than 7,800 stores worldwide – over 50 of which are across the UK – and more than 800 million licensed products sold as of 2025, MINISO is certainly one of the names to watch in retail right now. LSB catches up with the winner of last year’s Radar Award at The Licensing Awards to find out more on how it is living up to its ‘Life is for fun’ mantra.
I
f there is one name from the world of retail which has firmly entered the consciousness of the licensing industry and consumers alike over the past few years, it’s MINISO. Founded in 2013, recent years have seen the brand – which has the philosophy that ‘Life is for Fun’ – build an interest-driven, content-led retail model, with a vision to become the world’s leading IP operation platform. As of June 2025, MINISO has entered 112 countries and regions, with more than 7,800 stores worldwide. It has opened landmark flagships in core districts such as New York’s Times Square, London’s Oxford Street and the Champs-Élysées in Paris among others. The Inset: The Champs-Élysées in Paris is one of the core districts for MINISO’s flagship stores.
26
LICENSING SOURCE BOOK 2026
brand explains to LSB that its offline stores “function as content production hubs, emphasising ‘stores-as-content, content-asproduct’, and enhancing visits and conversion through immersive scenes and social sharing”. MINISO has collaborated with over 150 IPs and, as of 2025, it has sold more than 800 million licensed products. Looking ahead, IP
A magic transformation The Oxford Street flagship is a vivid example of ‘store as billboard’ and how MINISO can turn a retail store into a cultural landmark. Using Harry Potter for what it describes as the “narrative foundation”, the brand reconstructed the store’s flow, merchandising and interaction to deliver an immersive experience. The façade and entrance were themed with house colour palettes and crest elements and inside it created a Platform 9¾ photo zone and a large-scale Hedwig display. Blind boxes, plush and figurines, drinkware, stationery, fragrance and accessories were arranged in zones themed as the four Hogwarts houses, guiding shoppers through a smooth progression from browsing to buying, with built in moments for capturing and sharing. A branded Harry Potter bus tour across the city extended the immersive feeling beyond the store to build broader citywide buzz and conversion.