Milestone for pop culture and lifestyle brand Miniso in USA as it opens 400th store Stateside
Miniso, a Chinese retailer perhaps best known for its blind boxes, has opened its 400th store in America as the brand taps into the demand among US consumers for experiential in-person shopping experiences. In a LinkedIn post, Tom Bartlebaugh, CEO, Miniso USA, said: "400 and counting......Amazing team work. Amazing collaboration. So proud of the entire team."
UK
Miniso recently opened its latest UK store at Bristol’s Cribbs Mall.
Saad Usman, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Opening at Cribbs Causeway is an exciting step for us as we continue to expand our presence nationwide. Cribbs’ dynamic and fast growing customer base makes it the ideal location for our next store, and we’re delighted to bring our fun, pop culture products to such a vibrant retail destination. We’ve created a joyful, imaginative space designed to appeal to Gen Z and Alpha, while also welcoming Millennial families, and we can’t wait to welcome shoppers through our doors.”
Katie Searle, Director, Asset Management, at Sovereign Centros by CBRE, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Miniso to Cribbs as we continue to evolve the retail line-up to ensure we cater for our growing Gen Z audience. Innovative and growing brands like Miniso help to draw in new visitors to Cribbs and we expect the store to be extremely popular with the growing residential population across Cribbs which will be home to many young families and students.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
