Chinese lifestyle retailer MINISO has been doubling down with its IP collaborations. On 30 September, it unveiled the first-ever MINISO LAND IP concept store on Nanjing Road which focuses on the whole host of MINISO co-branded goods with Hello Kitty, Kuromi and Pompompuri from Sanrio Characters, as well as Stitch from Lilo and Stitch and My Little Pony. Less than two weeks later, MINISO announced its Harry Potter collaboration on 12 October.
Due to be officially released on 18 October, the Harry Potter collection includes plushies of Hedwig the Owl, Hagrid’s cake and the Monster Book of the Monsters, stationery and satchels, and lifestyle and home items the retailer is known for, such as cups and dog collars. The vast collection is reported to contain over 500 items.
Interestingly, some Netizens on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, pointed out that the crests of three out of the four houses from Hogwarts (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw) have part of the colour in a light grey checkered pattern resembling the “transparent” background in image processing and called it a mistake on MINISO’s part. However, others also pointed out that the Uniqlo UT collaboration t-shirt from earlier this year also shows the Gryffindor emblem this way so it might be an official representation of the house.
The launch of the collection will be accompanied by four themed pop-ups around the country for an immersive Hogwarts experience. Shanghai and Shenzhen will open on launch day, 18 October and end on 17 November, while Chongqing and Tianjin pop-ups will be available between 25 October and 24 November. The Middle Huaihai Road MINOSO flagship in Shanghai will become a Harry Potter concept store from 26 October and from 31 October, all MINISO online and offline channels will have the Harry Potter merchandise in stock.
The announcement coincides with the first film returning to cinemas in China on 11 October and contributed to 31.6% of all box office revenue that day with only 6% of screens showing it. The MINISO Harry Potter collection will also be available in MINISO’s branches abroad, capitalising on the franchise’s enduring global popularity. Combining its IP-centric and “going overseas” strategies, looks like MINISO is set for a major campaign with the Harry Potter team-up.
