17 h. ago Pop Mart’s jewellery store “POPOP” inaugurates first Beijing outlet

Pop Mart’s jewellery store “POPOP” inaugurates first Beijing outlet  Dimsum Daily

Politics

46 h. ago Gen Z’s ‘emotional consumption’ fuels surge in consumer stocks like Pop Mart

Stock investors are capitalising on the spending power of China’s Generation Z consumers, who splurge on everything from gold jewellery to low-priced drinks, delivering multifold returns on so-called new consumer stocks. The ascent of Pop Mart International Group, Mixue Group and Laopu Gold is one of the few bright spots in China’s sluggish consumer industry, which has been plagued by a weak jobs market and the deflationary trend. The robust performance has come at the cost of traditional...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s viral Labubu toy has an unlikely fan – the ruling Communist Party

As Chinese companies ponder how best to market their products internationally, the example set by Pop Mart – the Beijing-based brand behind the viral Labubu toy – has been praised by the country’s state media for the creativity that underlies its success. The wide-mouthed, bug-eyed toy’s global fan base is evidence of a shift in priorities for China as it transforms from a producer of low-value goods to a hub of innovation, Qiushi, the Communist Party’s top theoretical journal, said in a...

Politics

6 d. ago Labubu becomes bait for China’s Ping An Bank to lure young customers

Hoping the world’s trendiest monster will scare up some new customers, China’s Ping An Bank is rewarding those who open new accounts with a Pop Mart Lababu doll amid fierce competition for young customers among Chinese retail banks. New clients who open a savings account and deposit more than 50,000 yuan (US$6,954) for at least three months could receive a blind box from the first or second series of the Chinese toy retailer’s popular collectibles, according to media reports. Customers who also...

Economics

2 w. ago Is Labubu the next Hello Kitty? Analysts debate the limits for China’s Pop Mart

Pop Mart, the company behind the hit collectible character Labubu, was virtually unknown outside mainland China before 2024, but now some analysts are comparing its success to that of Sanrio and its Hello Kitty property, suggesting that the Beijing toymaker could have created a new playbook for cultural exports. Labubu, a sharp-fanged but cute little monster that is often sold as a plush clip-on charm for handbags, has attracted high-profile fans including the family of football star David...

Politics

2 w. ago How Pop Mart turns Labubu into a cultural phenomenon ‘without mentioning China’

Pop Mart, the company behind the hit collectible character Labubu, was virtually unknown outside mainland China before 2024, but now some analysts are comparing its success to that of Sanrio and its Hello Kitty property, suggesting that the Beijing toymaker could have created a new playbook for cultural exports. Labubu, a sharp-fanged but cute little monster that is often sold as a plush clip-on charm for handbags, has attracted high-profile fans including the family of football star David...

Politics

2 w. ago Is Labubu the next Hello Kitty? Analysts debate Pop Mart’s limits

Pop Mart, the company behind the hit collectible character Labubu, was virtually unknown outside mainland China before 2024, but now some analysts are comparing its success to that of Sanrio and its Hello Kitty property, suggesting that the Beijing toymaker could have created a new playbook for cultural exports. Labubu, a sharp-fanged but cute little monster that is often sold as a plush clip-on charm for handbags, has attracted high-profile fans including the family of football star David...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong police arrest 7 over attempted burglary of jewellery store

Hong Kong police arrested seven people early on Sunday morning in Ma On Shan on suspicion of attempted burglary. The suspects, who included individuals as young as 19 years old, were apprehended at around 5am while allegedly attempting to break into a jewellery store in MOSTown, a shopping centre located on On Luk Street. The arrested individuals comprise six local men, aged between 19 and 44, and a 41-year-old Vietnamese man who holds a Hong Kong identity card. Acting on intelligence, officers...

Events

2 w. ago China stops Labubu, Molly doll smugglers as prices soar, fights reported overseas

Chinese customs authorities have repeatedly stopped suspected smugglers of Pop Mart toys, including its Labubu and Molly series, as prices for the dolls soar amid a global expansion for the Beijing-based retailer. Customs agents have intercepted undeclared toys multiple times from passengers “allegedly seeking to profit from resales”, China Daily reported. In one case, 318 toys were confiscated from three travellers at Changsha Huanghua International Airport in Hunan province, according to the...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s Pop Mart conquers Middle East with Labubu plush toys

After a meteoric rise in the US and Southeast Asia, Pop Mart International’s latest iteration of its hit Labubu character is winning deep-pocketed fans in the Middle East, a fresh sign that the Beijing-based toymaker’s ambition to become a “truly global company” is gaining momentum. Google trend data shows that interest in the character surged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the April 25 launch of the latest Big Into Energy series. Among the largest emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah...

Politics

3 w. ago Labubu propels Chinese trend factory Pop Mart into HK$300 billion club on Hong Kong market

After a 10-fold share-price jump in a year, toymaker tops all but 26 other Hong Kong-listed firms in market capitalisation.

Economics

4 w. ago Foreign degrees lose lustre in China, Japan’s phone addiction: 5 weekend reads you missed

From declining enthusiasm for studying abroad to Pop Mart’s popularity in Europe, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Politics