Lifestyle retailer Miniso has opened its first ‘Blind Box’ store in the UK, offering more than 50 boxes filled with mystery toys and collectibles.
The Shaftesbury Avenue, London, store stocks co-branded items from brands such as Sanrio, Disney Pixar, Tokidoki, We Bare Bears, Minions, and Winnie the Pooh. It also sells a curated edit of Miniso’s popular original products, including plush toys and accessories.
Blind boxes have become a TikTok favourite, and are key to Miniso’s expansion, said Saad Usman, chief operating officer of Miniso UK.
“Blind boxes have become an integral part of our global strategy, and this new store represents Miniso’s latest milestone as we continue our UK expansion,” he said.
There are more than 20 Miniso locations across the UK, including London, Belfast, Cambridge, Cardiff, Manchester.
The business launched a globalisation strategy in 2015. Today there are more than 5500 international stores across 104 countries, including in New York, Paris, Dubai and Istanbul.
In Australia, Miniso aims to grow the footprint to between 100 and 120 stores in the next two years.
Customers already make almost 100,000 visits to the 34 stores in Canberra, Sydney, Perth, Hobart, Brisbane and Melbourne.