Vancouver Sun

JAPANESE LIFESTYLE BRAND MINISO SETS UP SHOP

- ALEESHA HARRIS

There are two words every shopper loves to hear: affordable and stylish.

Whether you are shopping for home accent items or lifestyle goods, finding an item that’s both a good deal and on-trend can be a challenge.

A new shop in downtown Vancouver is looking to offer both elements — through a wide range of product categories.

We chatted with Yi Ma, vicepresid­ent of business developmen­t for MINISO, in advance of Saturday’s launch event, which will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tote bags for the first 100 customers of the day (although the store is already open to shoppers), about affordable, good, fast fashion and why MINISO may be just what Vancouveri­tes are looking for.

Q For those who aren’t familiar, what is MINISO?

A MINISO is a Japanese variety store that offers a wide range of stylish lifestyle products, including cosmetics, home furnishing­s, electronic­s accessorie­s, stationery, kitchenwar­e and more. MINISO uses the fast-fashion concept to stay on trend, but delivers designer-quality products.

Q What makes it different from other stores?

A MINISO differenti­ates itself by offering quality products at great prices, with the majority of the products ranging from $2.99 to $5. With new products launching every month, the store will be constantly stocked with new and changing products. MINISO also prides itself in the intelligen­t design that makes all of its products very intuitive to use. More than 80 per cent of our products are designed in the world’s most innovative countries, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia — we’re excited for Vancouveri­tes to give our products a try for themselves.

Q What can people expect to find in the new store?

A Our Granville Street store will be the very first downtown Vancouver location and will offer nine product lines, including digital accessorie­s, beauty, stationery and lifestyle products. All across MINISO, there is an emphasis on the importance of customizat­ion of our inventory in the stores — we’ve carefully considered the needs and lifestyles of Vancouveri­tes and have curated a mix of high-quality product that we’re excited about and proud to share.

Q What makes MINISO a good fit for Vancouver?

A Vancouver is a beautiful city to live in, but it can also be expensive at times. We wanted to offer smart, sleek and functional products at a very affordable price — something we think Vancouveri­tes will appreciate. Affordabil­ity is a key part of MINISO’s philosophy and we will strive to offer the most competitiv­e pricing to our customers at all of our locations in the Lower Mainland.

Q: Lastly, you’re opening three stores in Metro Vancouver this month. Any future expansion plans you can share?

AWe are excited to be opening two more locations this month in Richmond on Saba Road and at SFU, just in time for back to school. We also have our eyes on expanding across Canada, with 30 to 50 stores anticipate­d to open in the next 12 months in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

 ??  ?? Japanese lifestyle brand MINISO is located at 550 Granville St. in Vancouver.
Japanese lifestyle brand MINISO is located at 550 Granville St. in Vancouver.

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