Posted by China Magazine |Aug 21, 2022 |Business News, ECONOMYThe Chinese group Miniso has apologized for presenting itself as a Japanese-style brand.Management has indicated that it will make changes to its stores to rectify the situation.Miniso thus responds to the controversy, and in particular to the rise of patriotism among Chinese buyers.The company has more than 5,000 stores in China and overseas.It has described itself for years as "a retailer of Japanese-inspired lifestyle products."Miniso has also been compared to the Muji channel operated by Tokyo-listed Ryohin Keikaku.However, at the beginning of August, a controversy erupted.Miniso has drawn the ire of Chinese social media users.Indeed, Miniso's Spanish Instagram account posted a photo of dolls, one of which was referred to as a "Japanese geisha doll", but Chinese users pointed out that she was wearing a qipao dress, a traditional Chinese outfit.Miniso then issued a lengthy apology, saying that the company, in its early days, had "taken the wrong path" with its brand positioning and marketing strategy.She puts the blame on having hired a Japanese designer as chief designer between the end of 2015 and 2018.Miniso said it had since late 2019 started removing Japanese items from its stores and shopping bags, saying it had already done so in its 3,100 stores in China.The company has also promised to start changing the signs and interior decoration of its more than 1,900 stores abroad.She would complete the movements by the end of March 2023.Senior executives involved in the previous strategy will be punished, and its headquarters would be responsible for all its overseas social media accounts in the future."We will strictly examine the content and do a good job of exporting Chinese culture and values," she said.In recent years, Chinese consumers have watched the behavior of big brands more closely and have become increasingly critical of foreign companies or local companies seen as insufficiently patriotic.Designed by Elegant Themes |Powered by WordPress