China's 'blind box' toymaker Pop Mart opens 1st store in Europe

LONDON - China's "blind box" toymaker Pop Mart opened its first European store here on Thursday, already drawing large crowds of young people.

The store's manager, Zhao Yan, told Xinhua that business has already been good since the trial opening. Zhao said that the "blind box" culture is becoming more and more accepted by young British and Chinese people alike.

A "blind box" is a type of packaging that keeps its contents hidden. Pop Mart sells collectible figures mixing pop culture and trendy content in its "blind boxes."

"The main products of Pop Mart are fashionable toys, and the target group is 18-35-year-olds, for now mostly women," Wen Deyi, vice president of the Pop Mart Group and president of Pop Mart International, told Xinhua.

"London is the fashion capital of Europe and the world, setting the global trends. As a representative of China's trendy culture industry, Pop Mart wants to bring trendy culture and products that are popular with young people in China to London," Wen said.

"We hope to influence other parts of Europe through this store in London by establishing a solid fan base for further expansion in the United Kingdom and Europe," Wen added.

Wen noted that Pop Mart entered the overseas market in 2018 and has since established itself in 23 countries and regions.

Currently, Pop Mart's products are sold in 52 countries and regions around the world through hundreds of distributors, three major cross-border e-commerce platforms -- Amazon, AliExpress and Shopee -- and independent overseas resellers.