Abans partners with Miniso as master franchisee

Saturday, 23 April 2022 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Abans recently partnered with Japanese inspired retail brand Miniso. Abans currently operates five exclusive Miniso showrooms, in major cities, at One Galle Face Mall, Colombo City Centre, Kandy City Centre, Union Place and Galle Road Colombo 3. Another exclusive Miniso showroom will open in Boralesgamuwa in the near future. A plan to further expand the Miniso showroom network is in the pipeline.

As a master franchisee of Sri Lanka, Abans hopes to appoint sub-franchisees islandwide to further develop Miniso business in Sri Lanka. Online retailing is a major driver of sales in any business venture. Consequently, Abans hopes to boost Miniso sales by capitalising on their robust e-commerce platform, BuyAbans, which will feature Miniso products from July onwards.

Miniso is a lifestyle product retailer and true to its mission statement ‘A better life has nothing to do with the price’, it offers high-quality household goods, cosmetics and food at affordable prices. In 2013 Miniso entered the fashion and leisure market in full swing. The grand opening of Miniso’s first Chinese shopping mall store was held in China Plaza, Guangzhou the same year. By 31 December that year Miniso had opened over 300 stores. It opened flagship stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Seoul, Australia, Mexico, Indonesia, Nepal, Dubai, Singapore, the Philippines, United States, Canada, France, Malta and Italy in the ensuing years.

In 2018 Miniso’s overseas stores exceeded 1,000 and the chain received a one billion strategic investment from Tencent and Hillhouse Capital. In 2019, Miniso partnered with Marvel and in 2020, Miniso co-branded with Disney to launch the Mulan series of products. The Miniso Design Academy (MDA) has teamed up with some of the best designers from Finland, Denmark, Norway, Spain and South Korea to create high-quality products that skilfully blend creativity and practicality.

Following eight years of rapid growth, Miniso has opened more than 5,000 retail stores in 100 countries and regions, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, UAE, India and Mexico. With the launch of their new slogan, ‘Life is for fun, MINISO’, in 2020, the chain aspires to become a brand that is better in tune with today’s youth, clearly understanding their attitudes and behaviour to bring them the most enjoyable shopping experience possible.

This attitude is reflected in their new brand partnerships as well. Miniso has collaborated with world-famous brands including Coca Cola, Marvel, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street, Mickey and Minnie, Pink Panther, We Bare Bears and Beijing’s Palace Museum, releasing playful crossover products that have been hugely popular with the shoppers. Their flexible retail business models, from franchise operation structure to world-class supply chain sourcing materials and manufacturing, allow Miniso to bring new and trendy products to shelves frequently.